Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / WPR13CA097

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR13CA097

2013-01-21 Tucson, Arizona, United States Airport · RYN None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N223PE

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 140

Year of manufacture

1946 · 67 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20031216

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A1ED70

Registrant of record

MILLER JAMES L

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll and his excessive application of brakes, which resulted in a noseover.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that he was returning to the departure airport and completed a normal traffic pattern for the active runway. After touchdown, he attempted to hasten the landing roll and exit off the runway at the first turnoff to accommodate the airplane that was landing after him. The tail wheel and rudder began to shimmy and in response he manipulated the control wheel forward. He then applied brake pressure in an attempt to make the exit and the airplane lurched forward, coming to rest inverted on the runway. The wings, fuselage, and rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He additionally reported that he thought the accident may have been prevented if he increased his yearly flying time and flew with an instructor more frequently. The pilot stated that he was returning to the departure airport and completed a normal traffic pattern for the active runway. After touchdown, he attempted to hasten the landing roll and exit off the runway at the first turnoff to accommodate the airplane that was landing after him. The tailwheel and rudder began to shimmy and, in response, the pilot manipulated the control wheel forward. He then applied brake pressure in an attempt to make the exit, and the airplane lurched forward, coming to rest inverted on the runway. The wings, fuselage, and rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He additionally reported that he thought the accident may have been prevented if he increased his yearly flying time and flew with an instructor more frequently. 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-(general)-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Landing gear brakes system-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA097.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 ↗