Stearman B75N1 accident near Bradford, Pennsylvania, May 18, 2019
On May 18, 2019 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1943 Stearman B75N1, registered N75577, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bradford, Pennsylvania (Bradford Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger’s inadvertent brake application during landing, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2019 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bradford, Pennsylvania · Bradford Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stearman B75N1 3, built 1943
- Registration
- N75577 · registry record · serial 75-7845
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, upon touchdown, the passenger seated in the front seat of the tandem-cockpit airplane "mistakenly applied full braking," and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,600 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 4,350 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 19, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-6A (piston); 1,448 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFD Bradford PA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: BFD Bradford PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,307 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KBFD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 27, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.