Cessna 140 accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1993
On April 7, 1993 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N46TM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Doylestown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT PASSENGER TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED AND THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT IN COMMAND TO ADEQUATELY SUPERVISE THE FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 1993 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Doylestown, Pennsylvania · Doylestown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N46TM · registry record · serial 9969
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A TOUCH AND GO. ON CLIMBOUT AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN AND IMPACT THE GROUND ON THE RIGHT WING AND NOSE. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FOUND THE TACHOMETER STUCK AT APPROXIMATELY 2200 RPM AND CHORD WISE SCRATCHES WERE VISIBLE ON ONE BLADE OF THE PROPELLER. FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR AND NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. THE PIC WHO OCCUPIED THE LEFT SEAT SAID HE DID NOT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED, AND THAT THE RIGHT SEAT PILOT WAS OPERATING THE FLIGHT CONTROLS JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1992
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N88
- Destination: N88
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 3,004 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.