Cessna 140 accident near Ceres, Virginia, December 27, 2025
On December 27, 2025 at about 5:49 pm local time, a 1946 Cessna 140, registered N89884, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Ceres, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to recognize and mitigate carburetor icing, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 2025 · about 5:49 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Ceres, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140, built 1946 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89884 · registry record · serial 8929
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while enroute, the engine rpm began to decrease. The pilot began to troubleshoot the partial loss of engine power by verifying the cockpit switches were in the correct position, verifying the fuel selector position, switching between the magnetos, and applying carburetor heat, but the engine power did not return. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude, so the pilot made a forced landing into a field, during which the airplane collided with a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. Following the accident, the pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and stated that the partial loss of engine power the airplane experienced on the accident flight was likely the result of carburetor icing. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious icing at glide engine power settings.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Awareness of condition
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 970 hours in all; 198 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 839 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 24, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,481 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 2025; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo C85 SERIES (piston); 1,437 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRI Blountville NC at 4:40 pm
- Destination: VBW Bridgewater VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from MKJ, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMKJ 271655Z AUTO 28012G18KT 10SM SCT036 15/06 A3006
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 21, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Responding Police | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Medical Helicopter Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Carburetor Icing Probability Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N89884 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 140 1,839 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental Aerospace Technolo C85 SERIES 4,672 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tri-Cities Airport · departed from
- Bridgewater Air Park Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,973 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA26LA079.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.