- Date
- May 26, 2020, 10:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Appleton, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N90023Cessna 140
- Defining event
- Landing: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200526007179A
- Case key
- 101327
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control while landing a tailwheel airplane.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot planned to land the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 21. He reported that there were some gusty winds, but a normal day. After touchdown, the tail of the airplane rose and continued until the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the top of the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wing strut. After the airplane was righted, the airplane was towed back to its hangar without issue. The pilot reported the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot planned to land the tailwheel-equipped airplane on runway 21. He reported that there were some gusty winds, but a normal day. After touchdown, the tail of the airplane rose and continued until the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the top of the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and wing strut. After the airplane was righted, the airplane was towed back to its hangar without issue. The pilot reported the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90023
- Reported as
- Cessna 140 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9081
- Built
- 1946
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235 SERIES, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 2019
- Departed
- ATW · Appleton, WI
- Destination
- W34 · Shiocton, WI
- Airport
- ATW · Appleton International, runway 21, 8,002 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 228.3 total · 53.4 in this make and model · 9 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KATW
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 29, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.