Event LAX06CA127

Factual narrative

On March 10, 2006, at 2330 mountain standard time, a Cessna 140, N89166, nosed over during the landing roll at Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, Arizona. The airplane sustained substantial damage; the private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane, that was registered to a private company, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot departed from Phoenix International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, and was landing at his destination when the accident occurred. In the pilot's written statement, he said that upon entering the traffic pattern for landing, he noted light precipitation in the area and calm winds. On short final he noticed a glossy looking runway and encountered light rain drops on the windscreen. He did a wheel landing and as the airplane rolled out, it drifted right of centerline. As he input corrective action for the right drift, he continued to hold the tail wheel off of the ground in order to maintain the best forward visibility. During these corrective actions, the airplane pitched forward and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The airplane did not have any mechanical malfunctions or failures. The airplane nosed over during landing. The pilot noted light precipitation in the area and calm winds as he entered the pattern for landing. On short final he noticed a glossy looking runway and encountered light rain drops on the windscreen. He did a wheel landing and as the airplane rolled out, it drifted right of centerline. As he input corrective action for the right drift, he continued to hold the tail wheel off of the ground in order to maintain the best forward visibility. During these corrective actions, the airplane pitched forward and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot said the airplane did not have any mechanical malfunctions or failures. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12