N143F

On December 27, 2000, about 1630 eastern standard time, a Cessna 305A, N143F, registered to a private individual, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while landing at Morganton-Lenoir Airport, Morganton, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received substantial damage, and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated from a private airstrip about 45 minutes before the accident.

According to the pilot, he had performed three uneventful full-stop landings at a grass strip before proceeding to Morganton-Lenoir Airport for additional practice. After five uneventful full-stop landings on the pavement of runway 3, on the sixth attempt, after a three-point touchdown, the tail started rising until the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that the throttle was at idle, and he was having to use some wheel braking to maintain aircraft rollout on runway centerline. He also stated that recent brake line work had been accomplished on the airplane.

Inspection of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed probable wing spar damage and vertical stabilizer spar damage. He stated that the brake linings were about 50 percent worn, that the right tire appeared new, and that both wheels spun freely. The inspector stated that there was no evidence that the left brake may have been binding or dragging during the landings at Morganton-Lenoir Airport.