Cessna 140 accident near Ridegway, Virginia, October 7, 2003
On October 7, 2003 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N2370N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ridegway, Virginia (Pace 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 improper pre-flight planning, which resulted in an engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2003 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ridegway, Virginia · Pace Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N2370N · no longer on the register · serial 12619
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he had completed a pre-flight inspection, and visually checked both fuel tanks, which were full. However, several witnesses reported that the airplane had been flown for 1-hour and 20-minutes prior to this flight with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank, and was not refueled. On the day of the accident, the pilot departed with the fuel selector still positioned to the left tank, and performed several take-offs and landings. About 35-minutes into the flight, during climb-out, the engine sputtered. The pilot pumped the throttle, and got a momentary gain in engine power, followed by a complete loss of power. He instructed the passenger to switch the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank, but the airplane descended rapidly into trees. Examination of the airplane revealed that approximately 1-quart of fuel remained in the left tank, and a substantial amount of fuel remained in the right tank.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,130 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,050 as pilot in command; 106 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,178 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2003; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VA02 Ridegway VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 11:02 pm from MTV, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.