On March 11, 2006, a Cessna 140 (registration N89166) operated by John Trotter was involved in an aviation accident near Mesa, AZ. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's improper use of the flight controls during landing, which resulted in a nose over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The pilot performed a wheel landing on a glossy runway with light precipitation. During rollout, the aircraft drifted right; corrective action led to a nose-over, resulting in the aircraft coming to rest inverted.
Incident Overview
The aircraft nosed over during landing and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures.
Sequence of Events
The pilot entered the traffic pattern for landing and noted light precipitation in the area with calm winds. On short final, the pilot observed a glossy looking runway and encountered light raindrops on the windscreen. A wheel landing was performed. As the airplane rolled out, it drifted to the right of the centerline. While applying corrective action for the right drift, the pilot continued to hold the tail wheel off the ground to maintain forward visibility. During these corrective actions, the airplane pitched forward and nosed over.
Pilot's Report
The pilot stated that the airplane did not experience any mechanical malfunctions or failures.