No fatalities

2 Nov 2012: CESSNA 140 — Russell Ellingworth — Watsonville, CA

Watsonville, CA, United States

On 2 Nov 2012, a CESSNA 140 operated by Russell Ellingworth was involved in an aviation accident near Watsonville, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the landing roll. 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 pilot reported that after a wheel landing, he looked inside the cockpit and eased back pressure on the yoke, causing the airplane to nose down, strike the propeller, and overturn.

Sequence of Events

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported a normal approach and executed a wheel landing, touching down on the main wheels. During the landing roll, as the airplane decelerated, the pilot shifted his attention inside the cockpit and reduced back pressure on the control yoke. When he redirected his focus outside, the airplane nosed down, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft then nosed over and came to rest inverted.

Damage

Substantial damage was sustained to the wings and empennage during the accident sequence.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations.

Contributing factors

PilotPitch control — Not attained/maintained