Cessna 140 accident near Post Mills, Vermont, August 5, 2000
On August 5, 2000 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N73044, was substantially damaged in an accident near Post Mills, Vermont (Post Mills airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the pilot's improper fuel management which resulted in power loss due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2000 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Post Mills, Vermont · Post Mills
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N73044 · no longer on the register · serial 10262
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed, flew a cross-country flight, and entered the traffic pattern while operating on the left fuel tank. On base leg, he switched to the right tank. After turning final, he initiated a go-around due to conflicting traffic. The engine sputtered and lost power on the go-around. There was insufficient altitude to reach a suitable landing area, and the airplane settled into the trees in a nose down attitude. The fuel selector was turned off as the airplane began hitting the trees. Examination revealed the left fuel tank was empty, and when the cap on the right fuel tank was loosened, fuel gushed out around the edges of the cap. When the fuel selector was positioned to the right tank, fuel flowed from the right tank to the sump, which was broken, and the odor of fuel was detected in the air. The airplane had operated for 1 hour, 43 minutes on a fuel tank with a listed capacity of 12.5 gallons.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,677 hours in all; 274 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,166 as pilot in command; 1,031 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,436 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1999; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RKD Rockland ME at 9:02 pm
- Destination: 2B9
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,900 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from LEB, 16 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.