Overview
During the landing rollout, the aircraft departed the runway surface and subsequently nosed over. The incident occurred after the landing phase had commenced, with the aircraft rolling along the runway before veering off.
Pilot's Account
According to a statement by the pilot, the decision was made to allow the aircraft to skid off the runway rather than attempt an abrupt correction. The pilot reported: "Skidded off runway rather than abruptly correcting problem I felt it would be safer to let aircraft coast into wheat field and then stop when all of the sudden nose wheel struck pocket gopher mound collapsing nose wheel and flipping aircraft over on back." This description indicates that the aircraft entered a wheat field adjacent to the runway, where the nose wheel encountered a mound created by a pocket gopher, causing the nose wheel to collapse and the aircraft to flip onto its back.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination of the aircraft was conducted to assess its condition. The examination revealed no pre-existing anomalies with the aircraft. This finding suggests that the aircraft was in a serviceable state prior to the incident, and no mechanical or structural issues contributed to the event.
Conclusion
The aircraft ran off the runway during landing rollout and nosed over after the nose wheel struck a pocket gopher mound. The pilot's account describes the sequence of events. No pre-existing anomalies were found during the postaccident examination.