Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 140 near Suffolk, VA — 2025-11-06

Final reportERA26LA032
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Date
2025-11-06
Location
Suffolk, VA, USA
Airport
VG37
Aircraft
CESSNA 140
Registration
N1860V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in a nose over.

NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was practicing touch-and-go landings on a private turf runway. Upon his third landing, he stated that the main landing gear seemed to be “digging into” the turf before the tail “rapidly” came up and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, the pilot thought that the airplane’s parking brake might have been inadvertently engaged during the landing, but a postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that its parking brake had been removed at some point in the past. A functional test of the wheel brakes also confirmed that they operated normally.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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