- Date
- May 3, 2011, 14:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Apex, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1902KLuscombe 8E
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Greensboro FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110503007109A
- Case key
- 79036
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 excessive application of the brakes, which caused the airplane to nose over.
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 stated that he was conducting a full-stop landing. He executed a normal landing, lowered the tail and was rolling fast. The airplane was on the center line with 300 to 400 feet of runway remaining. He stated that he applied the brakes aggressively, which lifted the tail and caused the propeller to strike the ground. The airplane then flipped over and came to rest inverted, substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer and wings. A postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The private pilot stated that he was conducting a full stop landing. He executed a normal landing, lowered the tail and was rolling fast. The airplane was on the center line with 300 to 400 feet of runway remaining. He stated that he applied the brakes aggressively, which lifted the tail, and caused the propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft then flipped over and came to rest inverted substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer and wings. Post accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1902K
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4629
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2011 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Parkton, NC
- Destination
- NC11 · Apex, NC
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- NC11 · Deck Airpark, runway 04, 1,950 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 71
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 8, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,353 total · 53 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 13 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 11 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 291 KB 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.