No fatalities

Aircraft Nosed Over During Takeoff Roll on Private Dirt Strip

Vernon, TX, United States

On July 2, 2013, a CESSNA 140 operated by AYDELOTT DONALD R was involved in an aviation accident near Vernon, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s excessive use of wheel brakes during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a nose-over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-09-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a takeoff roll from a narrow, dirt, private strip, the pilot reported the airplane veered left. An attempt to realign using excessive right brake caused the aircraft to overcorrect and nose over.

Incident Overview and Pilot Report During the takeoff roll from a narrow, dirt, private strip, the pilot stated that the airplane veered to the left. In an attempt to realign the airplane with the runway centerline, he applied excessive right brake, overcorrected, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The source does not provide the aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, or a formal cause determination. The account relies solely on the pilot's statement regarding the sequence of events and the absence of mechanical issues.

Contributing factors

Pilot