Incident Overview
On June 21, 2012, at 1300 central daylight time, a Cessna model 140A airplane, registration N9497A, sustained substantial damage during a landing at Walnut Ridge Regional Airport (KARG) in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The commercial pilot reported minor injuries. His passenger was not injured. The airplane, registered to a private individual, was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed the pilot's private airstrip near Walnut Ridge at about 1200.
Sequence of Events
The pilot had completed four uneventful touch-and-go landings on runway 22 (6,001 feet by 150 feet, asphalt) before the accident landing. During the landing flare, the tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered an "abrupt gust of wind" that lifted the tail, placing the airplane into a nose-low attitude. The airplane then impacted the runway and nosed over onto its back. The engine firewall, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures occurred that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Conditions
At 1255, the airport's automated surface observing system reported wind from 180 degrees at 11 knots, clear skies, visibility 10 miles, temperature 31 degrees Celsius, dew point 18 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 29.97 inches of mercury. The pilot noted seeing several "dust devils" in the agricultural fields surrounding the airport and attributed the wind gust during the landing flare to one of these whirlwinds.
Postaccident Examination
On June 22, 2012, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane. Flight control continuity from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces and tailwheel assembly was confirmed. A function test of the brake system revealed no mechanical anomalies. The examination found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.