What happened
The incident occurred while a student pilot was conducting a personal flight under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The objective was to land a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a gravel bar. During the landing roll phase, the pilot applied the brakes with excessive force. This action caused the aircraft to pitch forward violently, resulting in a nose-over event.
The investigation
Post-acc examination revealed significant structural damage to the airframe. Specifically, both wing lift struts were damaged, along with one of the wing spars. Despite these extensive structural failures, the pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies or pre-existing issues with the airplane prior to the accident sequence.
Findings
The primary factor leading to the damage was the excessive brake application during the ground roll. The lack of mechanical failure suggests the incident was purely operational in nature. The pilot's control inputs directly resulted in the nose-over, which transferred significant stress to the wing structure.