Ridge Road West Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Parma, New York 14468
Saturday, July 5, 2014 12:11 EDT

On July 5, 2014, about 1211 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 140, N76850 was substantially damaged during landing at Ridge Road West Airport (7NK4), Parma, New York. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to an employee who worked at a restaurant located on the south side of 7NK4, at approximately 1200 while looking out of a north facing window, he first observed the tailwheel equipped airplane doing touch and go landings on runway 18. At approximately 1245 the restaurant employee looked out the window once again and this time observed that the airplane was upside down next to the east side of runway 18, and called 911. Examination of the area surrounding the accident site revealed that a business located on the south side 7NK4 had security camera system installed on the premises. Review of recorded images from the motion activated system revealed that prior to the accident that one of the cameras had been activated three times by the shadow of an airplane passing by the camera, with the shadow activating the camera for the last time at 1205. Examination of the accident site revealed that on the last landing, the airplane had touched down 1,123 feet down the runway to the left of centerline, veered of the left side of the runway into a wheat field, and then nosed over, 390 feet from the touchdown point, approximately 41 feet east of the centerline of the runway. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine, and that the wing structure and engine mounts had incurred substantial damage when the airplane nosed over. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and maintenance records, the airplane was manufactured in 1946. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued 2,264 total hours of operation. According to FAA records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane single-engine sea, glider, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on April 9, 2014. On that date, he reported that he had accrued 2,683 total hours of flight experience. The reported weather at Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC), located 8 nautical miles southeast of the accident site, at 1154, included: winds 300 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 16 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 25 degrees C, dew point 12 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 30.21 inches of mercury.

Not Yet Reported