APPLE VALLEY, CA, USA
N6640T
Cessna 150A
The pilot reported that he had taken the aircraft flying to test the aircraft radio and when it did not work he returned to his private dirt airstrip. He said that after touchdown the nose gear sank in the soft soil, the nose gear strut collapsed, and the aircraft nosed over. An FAA inspector examined the airstrip and found that it is actually a firebreak road that is owned by a neighbor who allows the pilot to use it. The landing area is about 1,700 long by 10 feet wide and very soft. The FAA inspector further noted that 60-foot power lines that the pilot would have to maneuver over before landing obstructed the approach end of the runway.
On March 30, 1998, at 1015 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 150A, N6640T, nosed over during landing at a private dirt strip near Apple Valley, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area personal flight. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot and sustained substantial damage in the accident. The private pilot, the sole occupant, incurred minor injuries. In the pilot's written statement, he reported that he had taken the aircraft flying to test the radio. When the radio did not work, he returned to land. The pilot recalled landing on the dirt strip, then waking up suspended from his seat belt in the inverted cockpit. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the Riverside, California, Flight Standards District Office, traveled to the strip and interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that the landing strip behind his house is actually a fire break road that is owned by a neighbor who allows him to land his aircraft there. The pilot further said that after touchdown the nose gear sank in the soft soil, the nose gear strut collapsed, and the aircraft went inverted. He stated to the inspector that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft. The FAA inspector reported that the portion of the road used as the landing area was 1,700 feet in length and less than 10 feet wide. Power lines 60 feet high are located at the approach end of the landing area.
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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