Cessna 140 accident near Plymouth, Connecticut, October 11, 2025
On October 11, 2025 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1947 Cessna 140, registered N2812N, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff (rejected takeoff) near Plymouth, Connecticut (Mount Tobe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The plot’s failure to account sufficiently for the decrease in the airplane’s takeoff performance due to the wet turf runway, which resulted in a collision with a log barrier and subsequent nose over after aborting the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2025 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Connecticut · Mount Tobe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140, built 1947 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N2812N · registry record · serial 13073
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was attempting a short field takeoff on a wet turf runway that was 2,005-ft-long. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane would not climb into ground effect and felt as if the one of the wheels was on the ground. Recognizing that the airplane would not be able to accelerate in ground effect, the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff. As the airplane approached a log barrier at the departure end of the runway, the pilot attempted to ground loop the airplane, but the left main landing gear wheel slid on the wet grass. The airplane subsequently impacted the log barrier at low speed, nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing strut, vertical stabilizer, and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the pilot’s description of the takeoff, it is likely that the wet runway condition reduced the airplane’s acceleration and resulted in the airplane not climbing into ground affect as otherwise expected during the takeoff from the relatively constrained turf runway.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff (rejected takeoff) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 352.3 hours in all; 196.7 in this make and model; 38.7 in the last 90 days; 19.5 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 19, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,286.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo C85-12 (piston); 3,140 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,005 ft by 135 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from OXC, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOXC 111956Z 14009KT 10SM BKN024 OVC035 17/12 A3021 RMK AO2 SLP242 T01670122 $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA26LA021.