Nosed-over accident involving tailwheel aircraft during landing roll (N9641)

What happened

The pilot reported that during the landing roll, he tapped the brakes before the tail wheel contacted the runway surface and the airplane nosed down. The propeller struck the runway surface and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted on the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft at the time of the accident.

The investigation

The investigation revealed that the premature application of brakes during the landing roll caused the aircraft to pitch forward excessively. This action resulted in the propeller striking the runway surface and the subsequent nosing over of the airplane. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported by the pilot at the time of the accident.

Findings

Contributing factors included the premature application of brakes before the tail wheel contacted the runway surface, which led to the propeller striking the runway and the airplane nosing over. The lack of mechanical failures or malfunctions suggests that the accident was primarily due to pilot error in brake application timing.