Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a visual lookout on landing rollout, resulting in an on-ground collision with a known obstacle (ditch) and subsequent nose over.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot stated he had been flying out of the private airfield for about 15 years. He was making a full stop landing and forgot about a ditch that crossed the runway. During rollout, the airplane encountered the ditch and nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 24, 1997, at about 1230 eastern daylight time, a Boeing Stearman, B75N1, N133R, registered to a private owner crashed on landing rollout at a private airstrip in the vicinity of Huntersville, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from Bradford Field, Huntersville, North Carolina, about 10 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated he had been flying out of the airfield about 15 years. There is a ditch/low spot that runs across runway 24 about 500 feet from the end of the runway. He normally lands long to clear the known obstruction, however, he did not think about it while making this approach. He made a wheel landing and continued with the landing rollout. The tailwheel hit the ditch/low spot and pitched the nose downward. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. -