Pilot Survives Aerobatic Spin Accident After Transition to Accelerated Upright Spin (N87V)

Incident Overview and Pilot Actions During Aerobatics During aerobatic practice, the pilot intentionally entered an inverted flat spin at 2,800 feet above ground level. According to the pilot's report, he added full forward stick and right rudder to initiate the spin once the airspeed slowed to 80 mph. He then applied stick pressure in the direction of the spin and added power to flatten the spin. After one and a half turns, he neutralized the stick pressure and reduced power to idle. The pilot then attempted to recover by applying left rudder followed by aft stick pressure. The pilot stated that he did not recognize the aircraft's actual state at the time but believes in hindsight that it transitioned to a very nose-low, accelerated upright spin in the same direction as the inverted spin. After approximately 15 turns, the pilot was unable to recover and decided to release the flight controls. He reported that the spin remained steady and he continued to believe the aircraft was inverted. Just before impact, the pilot applied right rudder and forward stick pressure. The spin stopped with the aircraft in a nose-low attitude, and the pilot added back stick pressure to raise the nose. The aircraft impacted the ground in an upright attitude at high velocity and subsequently nosed over.