CESSNA 140
Madison, SD — March 12, 2018
Event Information
| Date | March 12, 2018 |
| Event Type | ACC |
| NTSB Number | GAA18CA166 |
| Event ID | 20180319X40055 |
| Location | Madison, SD |
| Country | USA |
| Coordinates | 44.01278, -97.08667 |
| Airport | MADISON MUNI |
| Highest Injury | NONE |
Aircraft
| Make | CESSNA |
| Model | 140 |
| Category | AIR |
| FAR Part | 091 |
| Aircraft Damage | SUBS |
Conditions
| Light Condition | DAYL |
| Weather | VMC |
Injuries
| Fatal | 0 |
| Serious | 0 |
| Minor | 0 |
| None | 2 |
| Total Injured | 0 |
Probable Cause
The flight instructor’s delayed aborted takeoff on a soft, wet, grass runway, which resulted in a runway overrun.
Full Narrative
The flight instructor, acting as a safety pilot, in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, to expedite takeoff, he decided to takeoff from the grass runway instead of the concrete runway. He added that, about midway into the soft-field takeoff roll, he observed that the airplane was "struggling to build airspeed". He added that the runway had previously thawed and was "wet spongy sod". He reduced power and began to apply the brakes to abort the takeoff, but the airplane overran the runway, impacted a snow bank, and nosed over.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
About This NTSB Record
This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.