Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft during landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After landing the pilot attempted to correct his runway alignment. He raised the tail for better control of the aircraft and ground looped to the left, then subsequently nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 6, 1997, at 0945 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 140, N76102, ground looped during the landing rollout on runway 12 and nosed over at the Whiteman Airport, Pacoima, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot/owner and passenger were not injured. Visual meterological conditions existed for the local personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Whiteman Airport at 0920. An Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Van Nuys, California, Flight Standards District Office, reported that on the landing rollout the pilot attempted to correct his runway alignment and raised the tail for better control, and that the pilot may have "touched brakes." The aircraft ground looped to the left and nosed over, coming to rest on it's back. An FAA inspector examined the aircraft and no mechanical discrepancies were found. -