SEA97LA134

Even though the pilot had 1,600 feet of paved runway available, he elected to land on the turf extension/overrun area. Because there had been extensive rains in the area during the week before the accident, the turf portion of the runway was wet and soft. According to the pilot, the aircraft touched down on the left side of the runway in a tire rut which contained standing water. The aircraft was then pulled further to the left, whereupon the nose gear dug into the soft ground and the aircraft nosed over.

On June 10, 1997, approximately 2100 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172C, N1319Y, nosed over during the landing roll at Fall City Airport, Fall City, Washington. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which had been in the air for about one hour, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed, and the ELT, which was activated by the force of the accident, was turned off at the scene.

According to the pilot, he elected to land on the flat grass "overrun" area at the approach end of the 1,600 foot paved airstrip. He said that he had done so many times before with no problems, but that this time the left main wheel of the aircraft touched down in a rut created by the tractor that mowed the grass in that area. Because there had been a considerable amount of rain during the week preceding the accident, the rut had collected water and contained deep mud at the time of the landing. As the left main gear passed through the soft mud, the aircraft was pulled further to the left into an area of water-soaked terrain. Upon entering the soft terrain, the nose gear of the aircraft sank into the mud and the aircraft flipped over.