Cessna 140 accident near Wimauma, Florida, July 31, 2004
On July 31, 2004 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89617, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wimauma, Florida (Wimauma Air Park airport). 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 improper in-flight weather evaluation by the student pilot resulting in a downwind landing 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
- July 31, 2004 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Wimauma, Florida · Wimauma Air Park · 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
- N89617 · no longer on the register · serial 8664
- 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 after departure he elected to divert to the Wimauma Air Park to visit with a mechanic about an annual inspection to his airplane. He circled over the center of the runway at the Wimauma Air Park, and entered the traffic pattern for runway 09; the windsock indicated the wind was calm. He turned base then final and touched down in a three-point attitude with full flaps extended, then bounced approximately 1 foot. He eased forward on the control yoke and the main landing gears contacted the runway, while he held the control yoke neutral. The airplane then "nosed over" suddenly coming to rest inverted. He exited the airplane and noted every couple of minutes a gust of wind from the west at 25-30 miles-per-hour. He further reported there was no discrepancy with the flight controls or brakes, and there was, "no problem with the aircraft." A witness on the field reported that at the time of the accident, the wind was from the west at 5-7 knots; there were no gusts at the time of the accident. During the day, the wind had been from either the southwest or west; the wind direction was changing due to a thunderstorm that was located south of the field. The witness also reported there are 2 fully operational windsocks located on the airport; both are located south of the south edge of runway 09/27, and near the approach end of runway 09.
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: 113 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X49 Mulberry FL
- Destination: FD77 Wimauma FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.