What happened
During a biennial flight review, a flight instructor was seated in the rear of a tailwheel-equipped airplane while the private pilot occupied the front seat. To demonstrate a landing technique, the instructor took control of the aircraft to perform a landing on the hard mud of a tidal flat.
The instructor reported that his view of the terrain was obscured by the position of the first pilot during the maneuver. As the aircraft performed the landing roll, the instructor maintained the tail position up. However, as the airplane approached an area of water, the first pilot observed the proximity to the water and applied heavy braking. This sudden deceleration caused the airplane to nose over, resulting in damage to the propeller, the rudder, and the forward left wing lift strut. The occupants were not injured.
Findings
The investigation determined that the instructor's visibility of the landing surface was compromised by the pilot in the front seat. The subsequent application of heavy braking while the tail was up led to the loss of directional control and the resulting structural damage.