Cessna 140 accident near Battleground, Washington, August 12, 1998
On August 12, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N77017, was substantially damaged in an accident near Battleground, Washington (Parkside Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Nose Over for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Battleground, Washington · Parkside Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N77017 · registry record · serial 11463
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, a certificated flight instructor who operated a mountain/back country flight instruction service, was landing on a 2,100-foot-long dry grass runway. She stated she landed into the wind, which was less than 5 knots. She touched down in a normal, full-stall, three point landing, and that when the main wheels touched down, the airplane nosed over despite her efforts to hold the tail down. She also stated that the aircraft's right brake, a retrofitted Cleveland model 30-63, was locked at touchdown. Aircraft maintenance records indicated that the right brake master cylinder had been removed and replaced for maintenance two months before the accident, and that the right brake had been bled and checked three times since that work was performed. An FAA inspector who checked the right brake at the accident site reported he found the right brake to be functional and that the right main wheel rolled properly on its axle.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,982 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 178 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 2,892 as pilot in command; 1,560 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,490 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1997; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TTD Troutdale OR at 10:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.