What happened
The accident involved a Boeing Stearman N2S-3 that sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during landing. The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) as a local operation. According to the pilot's report, he had accumulated a total of 2.4 hours of flight time in this specific make and model, all of which occurred within the ninety days preceding the incident.
During the final approach phase, the pilot indicated that the aircraft's speed was excessive. This high speed resulted in the aircraft bouncing upon initial contact with the runway surface. In an attempt to manage the bounce, the pilot overcontrolled the aircraft. This loss of control caused the propeller to strike the runway pavement. The impact forced the nose down violently, causing the aircraft to nosed over and come to rest on its back.
The investigation
Post-acc examination revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident sequence. The pilot explicitly stated that there were no mechanical issues before the event. The primary cause of the damage was the physical impact of the propeller with the runway surface due to the nose-over attitude.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot's decision to maintain excessive speed on final approach, combined with an overcontrol correction after a bounce, led to the loss of directional control and subsequent nose-over. The lack of mechanical failure confirms that the event was purely operational in nature.