| Crash location | Unknown |
| Nearest city | Sidney, NE
41.142762°N, 102.977979°W |
| Tail number | N739VN |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 04 Aug 2002 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172N |
| Additional details: | None |
On August 4, 2002, at 1300 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N739VN, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the runway during takeoff from runway 30 (6,600 feet by 100 feet, concrete), at the Sidney Municipal Airport, Sidney, Nebraska. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. There were no injuries to the pilot, or his three passengers. The flight was originating at the time of the accident with an intended destination of Ft. Collins, Colorado.
In his written report, the pilot stated that he lifted off at 65 knots airspeed and started to climb. He stated that when he had climbed to an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground, the airplane, "went into a stall [and] settled back to [the] runway striking [the] left wing." In the report, the pilot listed no mechanical failure of the airplane.
No preexisting anomalies were found during a postaccident examination of the airplane.
The pilot not maintaining sufficient airspeed during the takeoff, and the inadvertent stall encountered by the pilot. The low altitude was a factor.