- Date
- June 9, 2019, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N235DSDavid Shotwell Murphy
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 13, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190609006339A
- Case key
- 99581
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 properly tighten his seat belt, which allowed him to slide forward in his seat and resulted in his inadvertent application of excessive brake application during the landing roll and a subsequent noseover.
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, during the landing roll, the airplane's ground speed was about 30 knots when he applied the brakes lightly, and the tailwheel lifted off the ground. His seatbelt, which was not tightened, allowed him to slide forward in his seat, and he inadvertently applied more brake pressure, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane's ground speed was about 30 knots when he applied the brakes lightly, and the tailwheel lifted off the ground. His seatbelt which was not tightened, allowed him to slide forward in his seat and he inadvertently applied more brake pressure and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut and the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N235DS
- Reported as
- David Shotwell Murphy (SR 3500)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 096SR
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 255
- Engine
- Vedeneyev M-14P, 360 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 8, 2018
- Departed
- TVL · South Lake Taho, CA
- Destination
- TVL · South Lake Taho, CA
- Airport
- TVL · South Lake Tahoe, runway 18, 8,541 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 5, 2017
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 30,033 total · 11 in this make and model · 25,002 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.73 inHg
- Observed at
- KTVL
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.