Cessna 140 N5641C accident near Corvallis, Oregon

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a propeller strike and subsequent nose-over.

NTSB analysis

According to both pilots in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the newly endorsed tailwheel pilot was on the flight controls during the landing. The pilot at the controls recalled that, when the airplane touched down, it bounced, so she added power, but the airplane bounced again before it settled on the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered right, and she overcorrected to the left. She then applied right rudder, but the airplane became "squirrelly." The other pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, grabbed the yoke and applied rudder to regain directional control. The airplane decelerated, the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane nosed over. The other pilot reported that he did not apply the brakes. When asked, the pilot at the controls during the landing could not recall whether she applied the brakes.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and vertical stabilizer.

Both pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA19CA189 for the full record.