No fatalities

16 May 2012: BELLANCA 8GCBC — COSTAL AIRSIGN LLC — Gulf Shores, AL

Gulf Shores, AL, United States

On 16 May 2012, a BELLANCA 8GCBC operated by COSTAL AIRSIGN LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Gulf Shores, AL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadvertent application of the wheel brakes immediately after landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage after the pilot inadvertently applied brakes during a bounced landing on a private grass strip.

Incident Overview

A pilot operating a tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced a landing incident on a private grass strip. According to the pilot's account, the airplane bounced during the landing. As the aircraft settled back onto the grass, the pilot inadvertently applied the wheel brakes. This action caused the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted.

Damage Assessment

The resulting inverted position led to substantial damage affecting multiple structural components. Specifically, the wings, fuselage, and empennage all sustained significant damage. The extent of the damage indicates a hard impact after the nose-over.

Pilot Statement

The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. This statement suggests the aircraft was functioning properly before the incident, leaving pilot action as the primary factor in the sequence of events.

Contributing factors

PilotUnintentional use/operation