Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's loss of aircraft control during the landing roll, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On July 5, 1999, about 1230 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 140, N72992, was substantially damaged during a landing at Raleigh County Memorial Airport (BKW), Beckley, West Virginia. The certificated private pilot and the passenger were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. No flight plan was filed for the flight between Person County Airport (TDF), Roxboro, North Carolina, and Beckley. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot stated that as he was landing on Runway 28, everything seemed to be normal. However, the "wind must have been a little stronger than I thought. Started into a ground loop." The airplane veered to the right, and went off the runway. The left main landing gear broke off, and the airplane's left wing impacted the ground.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector, there was no evidence that the right brake had locked up, and upon inspection, the right wheel turned freely.
Winds, recorded about 20 minutes after the accident, were variable, at 5 knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC99LA166