On March 8, 2001, a Cessna 140 (registration N77J) was involved in an aviation accident near San Jose, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that after a normal approach, the airplane bounced on touchdown. During the second touchdown, it veered right, leading to a groundloop that collapsed the left main landing gear strut.
Incident Summary
A pilot reported that during a landing, the airplane experienced a bounce after a normal approach. On the second touchdown, the aircraft began to veer to the right. Despite the application of left rudder, the veer became more pronounced, resulting in a groundloop. The left main landing gear strut collapsed, and the aircraft came to rest on the right-hand edge of the runway, approximately 800 feet from the threshold.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft and that weather was not a contributing factor. The wind was calm at the time of the incident.
Damage
The left main landing gear strut collapsed during the groundloop.