Accident Details
A biplane sustained substantial damage after nosing over during a landing on a private airstrip. The pilot reported that the accident occurred on the third landing of the flight. He stated that for the third landing, he chose to land in the opposite direction from the previous two landings because of the sun's position.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, after touchdown, the airplane headed directly toward a pile of dirt located at the side of the runway. The pilot explained that the airplane is equipped with a locking tailwheel designed to maintain a straight heading. He was unable to correct the airplane's path before the right main landing gear struck the dirt pile, causing the airplane to nose over. The biplane came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe.
Pilot Statement
The pilot noted that the locking tailwheel's intended function is to keep the airplane tracking straight. Despite this feature, he could not prevent the deviation toward the dirt pile. No other factors were mentioned in the pilot's account.