Cessna 140 accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1984
On September 27, 1984 at about 9:43 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N2053N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Capital City airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1984 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania · Capital City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N2053N · registry record · serial 12289
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS LANDED DOWNWIND IN LIGHT WIND CONDITIONS BY STUDENT PLT. ON ROLL-OUT, AFTER NORMAL BRAKING WAS APPLIED FOR DECELERATION, ACFT BEGAN TO DRIFT RIGHT. STUDENT APPLIED LEFT BRAKE AS CFI ALSO APPLIED CORRECTIVE LEFT BRAKE. LEFT BRAKE CONNECTING ROD FAILED IN OVERLOAD. WITH RT BRAKE STILL APPLIED, ACFT SWERVED RT, GROUND LOOPED AND NOSED OVER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,467 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 1,342 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,358 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 8, 1984; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N94 Carlisle PA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: CXY Harrisburg PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,894 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:43 pm from CXY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC84LA324.