- Date
- July 12, 1997, 09:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Arlington, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4275NCessna 140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 42656
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
Failure of the right-main landing gear axle after landing.
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 tailwheel equipped airplane incurred substantial damage during a nose-over on the landing roll following the separation of the right-main wheel from its associated strut. The pilot reported that he touched down on his main wheels on the sod runway, bounced once, then 'seemed to settle into a normal run-out'. The pilot stated that 'a second or two later' he felt a heavy yaw to the right as the right landing gear dug into the turf. The landing-gear axle was found to have failed. The landing-gear strut dug into the turf, causing the aircraft to nose over.
Factual narrative
History of flight
On Saturday, July 12, 1997, approximately 0950 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 140, N4275N, registered to and being flown by a private pilot, incurred substantial damage during a nose-over on the landing roll following the separation of the right-main wheel from its associated strut. The accident occurred at the Arlington Municipal airport, Arlington, Washington, and the pilot and passenger were uninjured. No flight plan had been filed and visual meteorological conditions existed at the time. The flight, which was personal, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated from Snohomish, Washington, approximately 0920.
The pilot reported that he arrived in the Arlington airport area and contacted the temporary control tower for instructions. The Arlington airport was hosting the annual Northwest Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in and there was considerable air traffic around the airport at the time. The pilot was given authorization to land on a "grass strip" being used as an alternate landing site adjacent to runway 34.
The pilot stated that while he was on short final approach, he noticed "several orange cones around some red plastic strips" at the approach end of the grass strip. The cones and strips represented a "X" to indicate that the glider strip was closed to powered aircraft due to fly-in activities. The pilot reported that he touched down on his main wheels, bounced once, then "seemed to settle into a normal run-out". The pilot stated that "a second or two later" he felt a heavy yaw to the right as the right landing gear dug into the turf. The landing-gear axle sheared off and the landing-gear strut dug into the turf, causing the aircraft to nose over.
According to the FAA representative on site, a different grass strip was intended for use during the fly-in.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4275N
- Reported as
- Cessna 140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13746
- Airframe hours
- 6,224
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Conover, Mark, A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 1997 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- S43 · Snohomish, WA
- Destination
- AWO
- Airport
- AWO · Arlington Municipal, runway 34, 2,000 × 75 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 364 total · 263 in this make and model · 332 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg