What happened
The student pilot was operating an aircraft owned by himself during a training flight. Strong, gusty wind conditions were present at the time of the incident. While attempting to land on a soft runway, the pilot lost control of the airplane, resulting in the aircraft nosing over.
The investigation
An examination of the pilot's records revealed significant regulatory and experience issues. The pilot reported having a total of 91 flight hours, but only one hour of that time was logged with a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Furthermore, his FAA medical certificate had expired, and he had not received approval to solo.
Findings
Contributing factors included the pilot's lack of recent instruction and regulatory non-compliance. The aircraft was overdue for its annual inspection. The environmental conditions at the time were characterized by strong, gusty winds which likely exacerbated the difficulty of the landing on a soft surface.