What happened
A commercial certificated pilot was attempting to land an airplane equipped with tundra tires on the beach of a remote island. The pilot reported that the initial touchdown occurred to the southwest side of the intended area. During the subsequent landing roll, the aircraft's tires encountered soft sand rather than firm ground.
The loss of traction and stability caused the nose gear to collapse. The airplane nosed over approximately 350 to 400 feet after touchdown. This event resulted in structural damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage confirmed that the vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained structural damage consistent with a nose-over incident. The pilot's report indicated that the landing gear encountered soft sand conditions during the rollout phase, which contributed to the loss of directional control and subsequent collapse of the nose gear.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to this accident were the encounter with soft sand during the landing roll and the resulting collapse of the nose gear. The use of tundra tires did not prevent the aircraft from becoming unstable on the soft surface, leading to the nosing over event.