Cessna 140 accident near Suffolk, Virginia, May 9, 2003
On May 9, 2003 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N72942, was substantially damaged in an accident near Suffolk, Virginia. 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 pilot's misjudgment of his altitude from the wheat field during the execution of a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2003 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Suffolk, Virginia · 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
- N72942 · no longer on the register · serial 10140
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the airplane was en route to his home airport when he elected to perform a simulated forced landing over a wheat field. The pilot reported that he reduced power and added carburetor heat. He brought the airplane down to an altitude where the wheels were just above the top of the wheat field, and then he added power for a go-around. The pilot reported that he misjudged his altitude during the go-around, and the wheels made contact with the top of the wheat. The airplane decelerated, sank into the wheat, and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that there were no problems with the engine when he added power for the go-around.
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, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 8,550 as pilot in command; 6,700 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 7, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,269 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2002; 11 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: PVG Hampton Roads VA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: FKN Franklin VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from SFQ, 4 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.