What happened
During the landing rollout, the flight instructor informed the student pilot, "I got it," at which point the student pilot relinquished control of the aircraft to him. Following this exchange, the unidentified aircraft suddenly and sharply veered toward the left side of the runway. The aircraft subsequently impacted the opposite side of a ravine, coming to rest 200 feet away from the runway centerline.
The investigation
An examination of the airplane was conducted, which revealed no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies. Investigators noted that there were no brake pedals located on the right side of the aircraft and that the parking brake knob was positioned on the far left panel.
Findings
At the time of the accident, the flight instructor had 400 hours of total tailwheel experience, including 5 hours in this specific make and model. The student pilot had a total of 3 hours of flight experience, all of which had been completed in the accident airplane.