Cessna 140 N2143N

Summary

On 10 April 2014 at about 13:30 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N2143N was involved in an accident near Colebrook, New Hampshire, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 April 2014 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Colebrook, New Hampshire, United States

Nearest airport

Gifford Field (4C4)

Coordinates

44.8858, -71.5044

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N2143N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colebrook → Colebrook

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14CA195

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to power out of soft snow with a gusty quartering tailwind which resulted in the tail of the airplane rising and the airplane nosing over.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the private pilot, after landing, a 180 degree turn was required to back taxi on the runway. During the turn, the main landing gear encountered soft snow at the edge of the runway, and began to sink further into the snow. The pilot increased engine power to return the airplane to the center of the runway; however, the tail of the airplane began to rise and the strong quartering tailwind continued to nose the airplane over which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing strut and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported the wind, at the time of the accident, was approximately 220 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. He further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.