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Atlas / NTSB / WPR19CA197

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR19CA197

2019-07-20 Yellow Pine, Idaho, United States Airport · I92 Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N777DV

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

STUCKER VIRGIL A AVID MAGNUM

Year of manufacture

1998 · 21 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19980406

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AA8367

Registrant of record

THARP THOMAS J

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper decision to land on a rough, grass airstrip, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapsing and a subsequent nose-over.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after the airplane touched down on the soft grass landing strip and rolled about 130 ft, the airplane's nose landing gear (NLG) impacted a soft ground depression and the NLG bent aft. The nose wheel dragged through the grass about 30 ft before the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot added that this was the first time he had landed at this airstrip and was not aware of the hazards on the rough surface. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and wing struts. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, after the airplane touched down on the grass airstrip and rolled about 130 ft, the nose landing gear impacted a depression and then bent aft. The nosewheel dragged through the grass about 30 ft, and the airplane then nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot added that this was the first time he had landed at this airstrip and that he was not aware of the hazards on the rough surface. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder and wing struts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Decision related to condition - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_WPR19CA197.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.