On June 17, 2000, a Cessna 140 (registration N2063N) was involved in an aviation accident near Turner, ME. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control after landing. A factor in this accident was the high grass along the runway edge which disguised an embankment. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane landed on a grass strip, drifted left into high grass covering an embankment, went over the embankment, and nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions.
Accident Details
The pilot reported that while landing on a grass strip, the airplane drifted to the left. The leftward drift carried the airplane into high grass, which was covering an embankment adjacent to the strip. The airplane then went over the embankment and subsequently nosed over.
Pilot Information
The pilot estimated the grass strip to be approximately 1,800 feet long and 35 feet wide. He stated that he had previously landed on the same strip on other occasions. The pilot reported having a total of 450 hours of flight experience, of which 350 hours were in the same make and model of airplane involved in the accident.
Mechanical Status
The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions of the airplane prior to or during the accident sequence.