DELEVAN, WI, USA
N55501
BOEING STEARMAN A75N1
THE VINTAGE TAILWHEEL AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAY 36 WITH A CROSSWIND. ACCORDING TO THE FRONT SEAT PILOT/PASSENGER, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO WEATHER VANE AS THE TAILWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN AT WHICH TIME THE REAR SEAT PILOT MADE HARD RUDDER AND BRAKE INPUTS. THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER, DAMAGING THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER AND THE TOP WING'S UPPER SURFACE.
On September 3, 1993, at 1330 central daylight time (CDT), a Boeing/Stearman A75N1, N55501, registered to Jay Brost of Fontana, Wisconsin, and piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it nosed over during a landing roll following touchdown onto Runway 36 (4,400 x 75' dry asphalt) at the Lake Lawn Airport, Delevan, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating under a flight plan. The flight originated from Harvard, Illinois, at 1300 CDT. Written statements on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 submitted by both pilots state that the airplane had encountered a crosswind requiring rudder application. The pilot-in-command, in the rear seat, applied brake application "...excessively...", or "...hard...", instead of rudder control according to the front seat pilot/passenger. The pilot/passenger stated that airplane began to weather vane as the tailwheel was lowering, and that the "...PIC acted with hard rudder/brake which caused a/c to go over (on) its nose." The on-scene investigation was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration Principal Operations Inspector (POI). The POI stated the vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward, and that the top wing of the airplane had rib and covering damage on its upper surface.
the excessive use of brakes and rudder by the pilot-in-command. A factor related to the accident was the pilot-in-command's lack of total experience in this type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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