Primary finding
Probable cause
the pilot's inadvertant application of wheel brakes during a critical phase of landing rollout.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot stated that he had completed a normal wheel-type landing on runway 03, and had slowed to a point where the tail wheel had contacted the runway. Because there was traffic behind the pilot, and he had not yet reached an exit taxiway, he applied power to accelerate the taxi. The airplane started to turn towards the right and he applied left rudder, inadvertently engaging the brake. At that point, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that the wind was calm and the airplane was operating normally. The airport manager reported that the wind was out of the south at 3 to 5 knots at the time of the accident.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 19, 1994, about 0945 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 180, N9944N, was substantially damaged following a nose over during landing rollout at Sedona, Arizona. Neither the private pilot nor his passenger were injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which originated at Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the morning of the accident at 0720 hours. No flight plan was filed for the flight. The pilot stated he had made a normal wheel-type landing on runway 03. He had slowed to a point where the tail wheel contacted the runway. He stated: "Because there was traffic behind me and I had not yet reached the exit ramp, I applied power to accelerate the taxi. At that point, the airplane began to turn to the right. I applied left rudder to compensate for the turn. Unfortunately, I engaged the brake, causing the airplane to tip up on it's nose and then on it's back." The pilot reported that the winds were calm and the airplane was working normally. The airport manager stated that the winds were out of the south at 3 to 5 knots. -