What happened
During a training flight, the dual student pilot was conducting his second solo-adjacent exercise. As the aircraft approached the runway for landing, the student suddenly applied full right rudder input during the flare phase just prior to touchdown. Instead of correcting the input, the student froze on the controls while maintaining this position.
The aircraft immediately veered off the right side of the runway and entered deep, soft mud. Before the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) could regain control of the aircraft, the nose gear collapsed into a washed-out area. The force of the impact caused the aircraft to flip inverted before coming to a final stop.
The investigation
The post-accident examination revealed that the nose gear dropped off due to the terrain and speed at impact. The structural damage was consistent with the aircraft flipping inverted after leaving the paved surface.
Findings
The primary factor in this accident was the student pilot's sudden and uncorrected application of full right rudder during a critical phase of flight. This action led to a loss of directional control, resulting in a runway excursion and subsequent rollover.