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Accidents · NTSB SEA91LA068 · Final report

Cessna 140 accident near Pullman, Washington, March 17, 1991

On March 17, 1991, a Cessna 140, registered N2455N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pullman, Washington (Pullman/Moscow Reg. airport). 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 ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 17, 1991 · cases in 1991
Place
Pullman, Washington · Pullman/Moscow Reg. · cases near this airport · 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
N2455N · registry record · serial 12708
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 CESSNA 140 STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE ON SHORT FINAL. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED TO THE RIGHT. HE ATTEMPTED A RECOVERY, BUT THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED A HARD LANDING, COLLAPSING THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR, RESULTING IN A GROUND-LOOP TO THE RIGHT. A SWEARINGEN COMMUTER AIRCRAFT HAD LANDED ON THE RUNWAY A FEW MINUTES EARLIER.

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: 235 hours in all; 111 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 181 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: 72S Rosalia WA at 10:30 pm
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 5, 6,731 ft by 100 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
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Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA91LA068.json.

The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.

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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.