N77227 – CESSNA 140 – 2012-11-02 NTSB Accident Report

On November 02, 2012, a Cessna 140 (N77227) was involved in an accident near Watsonville, CA. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the landing roll.

The pilot reported that after a normal approach he landed the tail-wheel equipped airplane on the main wheels (wheel landing). As the airplane decelerated during the landing roll, the pilot directed his attention inside of the cockpit and eased back pressure off of the control yoke. When the pilot redirected his attention outside, the airplane nosed down and the propeller struck the ground; the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. During the accident sequence, the wings and empennage were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations.

This accident is documented in NTSB report WPR13CA033. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N77227.