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Atlas / NTSB / GAA16CA138

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event GAA16CA138

2016-02-24 Enumclaw, Washington, United States Airport · WA77 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N2715C

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 170B

Engine

CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A2AD3D

Registrant of record

HEAD NYLE C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's incorrect brake application during taxi, which resulted in a nose over.

Factual narrative

The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the taxi after landing, he "applied the brakes to slow down further" and suddenly the airplane nosed over. He further reported that he recently replaced the 29 inch Alaska Bushwheels with smaller 6.00x6 tires. According to the pilot, this made the Cleveland double puck brakes "very sensitive." A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the taxi after landing, he "applied the brakes to slow down further" and suddenly the airplane nosed over. He further reported that he recently replaced the 29 inch Alaska Bushwheels with smaller 6.00x6 tires. According to the pilot, this made the Cleveland double puck brakes "very sensitive."  A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Soft-Ability to respond/compensate

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA138.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

What the literature says.

Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.

Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗