Cessna 140 N2143N accident near Colebrook, New Hampshire

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to power out of soft snow with a gusty quartering tailwind which resulted in the tail of the airplane rising and the airplane nosing over.

NTSB analysis

According to the private pilot, after landing, a 180 degree turn was required to back taxi on the runway. During the turn, the main landing gear encountered soft snow at the edge of the runway, and began to sink further into the snow. The pilot increased engine power to return the airplane to the center of the runway; however, the tail of the airplane began to rise and the strong quartering tailwind continued to nose the airplane over which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing strut and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported the wind, at the time of the accident, was approximately 220 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. He further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14CA195 for the full record.