Cessna 140 accident near Goodyear, Arizona, January 13, 1998
On January 13, 1998 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N2496V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goodyear, Arizona (Phoenix-Goodyear Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 inadvertent brake activation by the student pilot while practicing touch-and-go landings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1998 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Goodyear, Arizona · Phoenix-Goodyear Muni
- 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
- N2496V · no longer on the register · serial 14765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the third touch-and-go landing the student pilot inadvertently applied brake pressure. He lost control, ground looped the aircraft, and the landing gear collapsed. No mechanical malfunctions of the brake was noted by the student pilot.
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: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 23, 1997; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYR at 9:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:21 pm from GYR
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.