Cessna 140 accident near Corvallis, Oregon, March 18, 2019
On March 18, 2019 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1950 Cessna 140, registered N5641C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Corvallis, Oregon (Corvallis Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a propeller strike and subsequent nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2019 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Corvallis, Oregon · Corvallis Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 A, built 1950 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N5641C · no longer on the register · serial 15595
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to both pilots in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the newly endorsed tailwheel pilot was on the flight controls during the landing. The pilot at the controls recalled that, when the airplane touched down, it bounced, so she added power, but the airplane bounced again before it settled on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered right, and she overcorrected to the left. She then applied right rudder, but the airplane became "squirrelly." The other pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, grabbed the yoke and applied rudder to regain directional control. The airplane decelerated, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The other pilot reported that he did not apply the brakes. When asked, the pilot at the controls during the landing could not recall whether she applied the brakes. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. Both pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,572 hours in all; 39 in this make and model; 18.6 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,303.3 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 877 hours in all; 7.8 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 12.8 in the last 30 days; 572 as pilot in command; 16.7 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 31, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,350 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 23, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-14F (piston); 3,372 hours total
- Operator: Cruisair Llc
The flight
- Departed from: 77S Creswell OR at 6:15 pm
- Destination: CVO Corvallis OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 5,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from KCVO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 15, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Rudder Cable Continuity | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.