- Date
- October 2, 2022, 12:48 local (17:48 UTC)
- Place
- Burnet, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N72794Cessna 140
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration - San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221002016339A
- Case key
- 106036
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with an unexpected quartering tailwind.
Findings · 4
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 reported that a gust of wind caused the tailwheel-equipped airplane to swerve left during landing roll. He was unable to regain directional control of the airplane before it departed off the left runway edge, striking a concrete pad and runway edge light which caused the airplane to nose over. The airplane’s fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and rudder were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the surface wind was calm when he listened to the airport’s automated weather broadcast about 11 minutes before landing. A weather report issued about 5 minutes after the accident included a 4-knot surface wind from the northeast. Based on available weather information, a variable wind direction likely prevailed at the time of the accident that resulted in an unexpected left quartering tailwind during the landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72794
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 9980
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 3,733
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 26, 2021 · 18.8 hours before
- Departed
- 2TX · Salado, TX
- Destination
- BMQ · Burnet, TX
- Airport
- BMQ · Burnet Municipal Airport, runway 19, 5,001 × 75 ft, asphalt
- 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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Last flight review
- June 6, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,143 total · 116 in this make and model · 2,105 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- BMQ
- METAR
- METAR KBMQ 021753Z AUTO 04004KT 10SM CLR 27/06 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP212 T02670056 10272 20133 58008=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 20, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 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.