What happened
The pilot in command was conducting practice touch-and-go (T&G) landings at a private sod airstrip. Prior to the accident sequence, the pilot had successfully completed several approaches and landings on this specific strip. During one particular attempt, the pilot intended to execute another standard landing on the sod surface.
However, the pilot misidentified an adjacent wheat field as the intended sod landing strip. The wheat field borders and runs parallel to the sod airstrip used for training. Upon entering the field, the ground conditions were significantly softer than the prepared strip. When the aircraft's main landing gear touched down in the soft soil, it became immediately mired. The resistance caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch forward violently, resulting in a nose-over attitude that left the aircraft inverted.
The investigation
Examination of the site revealed that the wheat field was situated directly next to the sod strip, creating a visual similarity that contributed to the misidentification. The soft ground conditions within the field were sufficient to halt the main landing gear quickly, leading to the structural inversion of the aircraft.