VANCOUVER, WA, USA
N83803
Aeronca 7BCM
During the landing roll, the aircraft encountered uneven terrain and the pilot's feet moved to a position where his heels inadvertently applied excessive braking. Because he did not correctly reposition his feet on the rudder/brake assembly, the aircraft subsequently nosed over.
On August 15, 1998, approximately 1400 Pacific daylight time, an Aeronca 7BCM, N83803, nosed over during the landing roll at Evergreen Airpark, Vancouver, Washington. The student pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which was owned by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight departed Yelm, Washington, about 1 hour 30 minutes earlier. The flight, which was being operated in visual meteorological conditions, was on a VFR flight plan. There was no report of an ELT activation. An FAA inspector, who witnessed the accident, stated that the aircraft touched down on the last 1/3 of the 2200 foot runway. The pilot, who chose to land long because of the traffic behind him at the air show fly-in, stated that his landing was normal until the aircraft encountered a "bump" and a "dip" in the runway surface. He further stated that, the "tail lifted and my feet rotated around the rudder rods allowing my heels to hit the brakes". Before the pilot removed his heels from the brakes and repositioned them on the "rudder rods", the aircraft nosed over.
The pilots inadequate remedial action, while attempting to recover from an inadvertent activation of the brakes, during the landing-roll. Factors include the inadvertent brake activation and the rough/uneven runway.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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