- Date
- May 9, 1997, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Deer Lodge, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N714VLCessna 152
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 14, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970509009849A
- Case key
- 42600
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 improper decision to abort the takeoff, and his improper use of brakes during the abort. A factor contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he encountered a crosswind as the airplane's tail had just lifted from the runway during the takeoff roll. He stated that the airplane '...veered hard to the right of center' and he could not maintain directional control. He then attempted to stop the airplane by lowering the tail back onto the ground, decreasing engine power, and applying the brakes. The airplane departed off the side of the runway and into loose gravel. The pilot stated that he '... got on the brakes too hard and the aircraft nosed over.' The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions, and he stated that he could have prevented the accident by '...not aborting the takeoff and flying the aircraft off the runway.'
Factual narrative
On May 9, 1997, about 1400 mountain daylight time, N714VL, a Cessna 152 with a tail-wheel conversion, operated by the owner/pilot, nosed over and was substantially damaged while taking off from Deer Lodge, Montana. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot reported that he encountered a crosswind as the airplane's tail had just lifted from the runway during the takeoff roll. He stated that the airplane "...veered hard to the right of center" and he could not maintain directional control. He then attempted to stop the airplane by lowering the tail back onto the ground, decreasing engine power, and applying the brakes. The airplane departed off the side of the runway and into loose gravel. The pilot stated that he "... got on the brakes too hard and the aircraft nosed over." The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions, and he stated that he could have prevented the accident by "...not aborting the takeoff and flying the aircraft off the runway."
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector from Helena, Montana, the airplane was substantially damaged in the accident. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found. The pilot had just purchased the airplane and was flying it back to his home in Minnesota at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he had about 15 hours of total flight time in type.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N714VL
- Reported as
- Cessna 152
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15279466
- Airframe hours
- 1,314
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Flanagan, Vernon F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 18, 1996 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- 38S
- Destination
- Rosemount, MN
- Airport
- 38S · Deer Lodge City-County, runway 12, 4,400 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 496 total · 15 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BTM, 28 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.