Cessna C-140 accident near Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, April 30, 1983
On April 30, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna C-140, registered N77090, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (Private Strip 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mt. Pleasant, Iowa · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-140
- Registration
- N77090 · no longer on the register · serial 11548
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT MAKE A VISUAL CHECK OF HIS FUEL SUPPLY PRIOR TO FLIGHT. AFTER A 45 MINUTE SOLO FLIGHT HE LANDED AT A PRIVATE STRIP AND PICKED UP A PASSENGER. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS SELECTED AND THE GUAGE WAS INDICATING IN THE LOWER RED 1/4 RED, NO TAKEOFF RANGE. AS THE ACFT CLIMBED TO APRX 25 FEET AGL, THE ENGINE FAILED. THE ACFT TOUCHEDDOWN WITHOUT INCIDENT, THEN STRUCK A FENCE POST AND NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 490 hours in all; 472 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 470 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,323 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,800 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from BUR, 28 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.