On February 10, 1995, a Cessna 120 (registration N77480) was involved in an aviation accident near Scappoose, OR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadvertent application of the brakes during recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot bounced during touchdown and inadvertently applied the brakes while attempting to recover, causing the aircraft to nose over on the runway.
The pilot reported that the airplane bounced on touchdown. When applying pressure to recover from the bounce, the pilot did not realize his feet had moved up on the rudder pedals. The brakes were inadvertently applied and the airplane nosed over on the runway.
There were no reported mechanical failures or malfunctions.
The pilot's inadvertent application of the brakes during recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing over.