# NTSB CEN12LA556: Bellanca 7GCBC, N68564, Sidney, NE, August 19, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 19, 2012, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC) - Place: Sidney, NE - Coordinates: 41.099723, -102.985 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0997&lon=-102.9850&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 14, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 84731 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA556 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/84731/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA556 ## Probable cause The pilot's misuse of the brakes during landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Landing gear system: brake](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242/cases.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 297 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023242/cases.md) - [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096) (defining event); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 20 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 2,287 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot made a normal landing in light and variable wind. As the airplane slowed, it started turning to the right, and the pilot applied left rudder and brake to correct for the right turn. The airplane’s tail came up, the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that when he rotated the airplane’s tires after the accident, the left tire turned freely but the right tire would only turn with pressure. However, when the airport manager (who was also a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic) and local law enforcement officials examined the brake system after the accident, the wheels both spun normally. Additionally, after the airplane was placed back on its landing gear and towed to a hanger, the airplane’s wheels rolled normally. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the wheels or brake system. ## Factual narrative On August 19, 2012, about 1630 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N68564, nosed over on landing at Sidney Municipal Airport (KSNY), Sidney, Nebraska. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The cross-country flight originated from the Hanging L Ranch Airstrip, Mullen, Nebraska, at 1510. According to the pilot's accident report, he made a normal landing on runway 02 (4,700 ft. x 75 ft., turf) in light and variable winds. As the airplane slowed, it started turning to the right and the pilot applied left rudder and brake to prevent a ground loop. The tail came up, the propeller struck the ground, and the airplane nosed over. The vertical stabilizer was crushed. The pilot said that after the accident, while the airplane was still upside down, he rotated the tires. The left tire turned freely but the right tire dragged and would only turn with pressure. Asked if he had any safety recommendations, the pilot wrote that extra practice in the use of brakes and rudder might help to manage the double puck, big tires, and extended landing gear on this airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration contacted the Sidney Airport manager, also a licensed A&P (airframe and powerplant) mechanic, to determine the condition of the brake system. He reported that the wheels both spun normally prior to putting the aircraft back on it's landing gear. In addition, police officers on the scene also spun the wheels and found no issues. The airport manager also stated that the aircraft was towed to a hanger and it rolled normally. He found no indication of a mechanical failure of the wheels or brake system. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N68564](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N68564), registered now, S/N 394-72, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bellanca 7GCBC - Registry model: [Bellanca 7GCBC](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-7gcbc) (registry code 1220601) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 394-72 - Engines: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: John & Lynn Mundoff - Registered owner: John & Lynn Mundoff - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal - Departed: K1V2, Hyannis, NE - Destination: KSNY, Sidney, NE - Airport: KSNY, Sidney Municipal/Lloyd W. Carr, runway 02, 4,700 × 75 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 74; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea, multi-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review August 18, 2012; seat: front; flight hours: 6,332 total, 94 in this make and model, 17 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days - Pilot; age 58; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: rear; flight hours: 370 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120819016549A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120819016549A), Aug 19, 2012: Bellanca 7GCBC, Sidney, NE, Substantial damage. During the landing rollout on the grass runway 03 at Sidney, NE, the aircraft skidded aproximatly 100 feet, nosed over and then slowly went over on its back… ## Other investigations on N68564 (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC83FA178](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC83FA178), Sep 19, 1983: Bellanca 7GCBC (N68564), Fairbanks, AK, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.