Cessna 140 accident near Lovelock, Nevada, May 5, 1984
On May 5, 1984 at about 3:40 am local time, a Cessna 140, registered N1978N, was destroyed in an accident near Lovelock, Nevada (Lovelock Air Park airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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
- May 5, 1984 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Lovelock, Nevada · Lovelock Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N1978N · registry record · serial 12214
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD ORIGINALLY REQUESTED A WX BRIEFING AT 0444 FOR A FLT FROM CHEYENNE,WY TO LOVERLOCK,NV. PRIOR TO DEPARTING CHEYENNE AT 0630, THE FBO TOLD THE PLT THAT THE LOVELOCK ARPT WAS FLOODED. THE PLT REPLIED HE WOULD LAND AT A STRIP IN TOWN. FUEL RECEIPTS SHOWED THE ACFT WAS REFUELED ON 5/4/84 AT RAWLINGS, WY; EVANSTON, WY; WENDOVER, UT; & WINNEMUCCA, NV. AT ABOUT 2030, THE OWNER OF THE PRIVATE STRIP HEARD THE ACFT FLY OVER & TURNED ON A RED BEACON ATOP HIS RESIDENCE. HE OBSERVED THE ACFT PASS OVER THE STRIP AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL, PROCEEDING EAST, WITH SOUNDS OF REDUCED POWER. HE SAW THE LIGHTS OF THE ACFT INITIATE AN APPARENT LEFT TURN, THEN PLUNGE TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND. A TOXICOLOGICAL TEST OF THE PLT'S BLOOD REVEALED ONLY A LOW LEVEL OF CARBON MONOXIDE (8%). A WITNESS ESTIMATED THAT THE WIND WAS FROM 250 DEG AT 15 GUSTING 20 KTS. THE ACFT HAD LANDED AT THIS STRIP SEVERAL WEEKS 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 534 hours in all; 488 in this make and model; 501 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,239 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 1983; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WMC Winnemucca NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.
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 SEA84FA102.