Probable cause
The pilot's improper brake application during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
NTSB analysis
According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he had performed two previous touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. During the third landing roll, the tailwheel settled on the runway, and then the airplane nosed over. He reported that he was “not certain whether I accidentally stepped on the brakes or the brakes seized."
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector’s postaccident examination of the brake system revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA18CA455 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 26, 2018
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Healdsburg, California
- Nearest airport
- Healdsburg Muni (HES)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 140
- N-number
- N1902V
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1947
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.