What happened
The pilot returned to the airport after dark and observed that there was an excessive crosswind for the active runway. He elected to land on the unlighted grass runway (Runway 14) which was aligned more favorably with the wind. He thought that on final approach, he had aligned the aircraft with the runway centerline. However, during the landing, the aircraft touched down in soft terrain beside the runway and subsequently nosed over.
The investigation
The pilot stated that he returned to the airport after dark and noted there was an excessive crosswind for the active runway. He elected to land on the unlighted grass runway (Runway 14) which was aligned more favorably with the wind. He thought that on final approach, he had aligned the aircraft with the runway centerline. However, during the landing, the aircraft touched down in soft terrain beside the runway and subsequently nosed over.
Findings
The pilot's decision to land on an unlighted grass runway in the dark with excessive crosswinds contributed to the accident. The unlighted nature of the runway likely reduced visibility of the runway edges and surface conditions. The soft terrain beside the runway may have caused the aircraft to veer off the intended path. The excessive crosswind made it difficult to maintain alignment with the runway centerline.