Primary finding
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain directional control, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve and subsequent nose over of the airplane.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported he was landing on a sod strip typically used by ultralight airplanes. During the landing roll, the pilot lost directional control. The airplane went off the left side of the runway and nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 5, 1993, about 1000 central daylight time, a Cessna 140 airplane, N89467, nosed over during landing on a sod strip near Trenton, Illinois. The solo commercial pilot reported no injury. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight. The flight originated from Centralia, Illinois, about 0930 without a flight plan and operated under 14 CFR 91. The pilot reported he landed on a sod strip typically used by ultralight airplanes. During the landing roll he lost directional control. The airplane veered left and went off the left side of the runway. The airplane encountered soybean plants adjacent to the runway's edge and nosed over. No preimpact mechanical anomalies were claimed or discovered. -