Incident Overview
The pilot was landing in gusty crosswinds. This was the second landing of the flight; a previous landing had already been made. During the landing roll of the second landing, crosswinds caused the left wing of the aircraft to lift into the air. At the same time, the aircraft began drifting toward the right side of the runway.
Pilot Actions and Decision
The pilot attempted to lower the left wing by using aileron deflection. He also tried to correct the aircraft's heading to keep it straight down the runway. However, the pilot perceived that the aircraft was about to cartwheel, so he decided to allow the aircraft to continue off the runway in the direction it was heading, rather than attempting to stay on the runway.
Runway Departure and Nose-Over
After the aircraft departed the runway, it encountered soft terrain. The nose gear dug into the ground, and the aircraft nosed over.
Control System Condition
According to the pilot, aside from a minor nose wheel shimmy, there did not seem to be any problems with the aircraft's controls.