On October 21, 2001, a Cessna A185E (registration N7711L) was involved in an aviation accident near Winnemucca, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, failure to maintain directional control and use of excessive braking, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A tailwheel airplane ground looped and nosed over during landing roll after encountering gusty crosswind conditions. The pilot attempted to correct a swerve with rudder and brake, but excessive braking caused the nose over.
Accident Details
A tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced a ground loop and subsequent nose over during the landing roll. The accident occurred while the pilot was landing the airplane to the northwest. The airplane was equipped with a tailwheel configuration.
Sequence of Events
During the landing roll, the airplane swerved to the left. As a result of the swerve, the right wing impacted the ground. The pilot responded by applying right rudder and right brake in an attempt to straighten the airplane's path. After the airplane became straight, it nosed over due to the excessive braking applied during the correction.
Weather Conditions
The wind at the time of the accident was from the west at 7 knots with gusts to 15 knots. These gusty crosswind conditions were encountered during the landing roll.