N235DS – DAVID SHOTWELL MURPHY – 2019-06-09 NTSB Accident Report

On June 09, 2019, a David Shotwell MURPHY (N235DS) was involved in an incident near South Lake Tahoe, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to properly tighten his seat belt, which allowed him to slide forward in his seat and resulted in his inadvertent application of excessive brake application during the landing roll and a subsequent noseover.

The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane's ground speed was about 30 knots when he applied the brakes lightly, and the tailwheel lifted off the ground. His seatbelt which was not tightened, allowed him to slide forward in his seat and he inadvertently applied more brake pressure and the airplane nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut and the rudder.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA324. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N235DS.