- Date
- September 23, 2015, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3484VCessna 195
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150923023469A
- Case key
- 92094
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 braking during the landing roll, resulting in a 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
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he performed a wheel landing on the asphalt runway. The pilot stated that he landed at a speed of 70 miles per hour, and that he allowed the tailwheel to touch down on the runway at approximately 45 miles per hour. He stated that when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane rapidly veered to the left and he attempted to correct the left movement by applying right rudder as well as the brakes. Excessive braking resulted in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings and empennage. Photographs provided by the FAA showed the airplane veering about 30 degrees toward the left edge of the runway. The left tire mark showed in excess of 30 feet of full tread width, dark black, rubber skid, while the right tire mark showed continual skidding of the inside (right) edge and intermittent full tread width skids. About 30 feet from where the airplane came to rest inverted, the left skid mark lightened up showing continual tread edge skidding and intermittent full tread width skids, and the airplane had turned to the right paralleling to the runway edge. No tailwheel marks were visible in the photographs. The airplane came to rest inverted about 75 feet short of the B4 intersection.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he performed a wheel landing on the asphalt runway. The pilot stated that he landed at a speed of 70 miles per hour, and that he allowed the tailwheel to touch down on the runway at approximately 45 miles per hour. He stated that when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane rapidly veered to the left and he attempted to correct the left movement by applying right rudder as well as the brakes. Excessive braking resulted in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings and empennage. Photographs provided by the FAA showed the airplane veering about 30 degrees toward the left edge of the runway. The left tire mark showed in excess of 30 feet of full tread width, dark black, rubber skid, while the right tire mark showed continual skidding of the inside (right) edge and intermittent full tread width skids. About 30 feet from where the airplane came to rest inverted, the left skid mark lightened up showing continual tread edge skidding and intermittent full tread width skids, and the airplane had turned to the right paralleling to the runway edge. No tailwheel marks were visible in the photographs. The airplane came to rest inverted about 75 feet short of the B4 intersection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3484V
- Reported as
- Cessna 195 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7184
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 2,617
- Engine
- Jacobs R755B2, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric H. Cappel
- Registered owner
- Eric H. Cappel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2015 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- GIF · Winter Haven's, FL
- Destination
- COI · Merritt Island, FL
- Airport
- COI · Merritt Island, runway 11, 3,601 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 19, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 20,500 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- COF, 8 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 5, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 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.