Cessna 140 accident near Mcclure, Pennsylvania, October 21, 2000
On October 21, 2000 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N279W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcclure, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power over unsuitable terrain due to fuel starvation from a fuel strainer blocked with sealant particles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 2000 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mcclure, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N279W · no longer on the register · serial 9976
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power about 1 hour after departure. The pilot performed a forced landing to a cornfield and the airplane nosed over during the landing roll. When the airplane was uprighted during recovery, fuel poured from both fuel tanks. The engine was then started and it ran without interruption. However, examination of the fuel system revealed a handful of sloshing-sealant particles blocked the fuel strainer in the left fuel tank. Examination of the airplane's maintenance records revealed the left fuel tank was sealed with sloshing sealant during a major repair 43 years prior to the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,783 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,704 as pilot in command; 441 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 16, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,179 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 2000; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1N9 Allentown PA at 2:50 pm
- Destination: UNV State College PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from SEG, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.