Incident Details
A flight instructor and a commercial pilot receiving instruction were practicing takeoffs and landings on a 900-foot-by-20-foot dirt airstrip in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. According to the flight instructor, landings at the airstrip are made to the south and takeoffs to the north due to the topography.
Sequence of Events
During the flight, the wind picked up to about 4 to 5 knots from the northwest, resulting in a right quartering tailwind for landing. During what was planned to be the last landing at the airstrip, the commercial pilot did not arrest the descent quickly enough, causing the airplane to bounce on touchdown and drift left.
After the bounce, the flight instructor called for full power and took control of the airplane. He maneuvered the airplane back towards the center of the airstrip, reduced power, and landed with the left main gear 1 foot off the left side of the airstrip and the right main gear near the middle of the airstrip.
Damage
The instructor applied the brakes heavily, and the airplane began to slow. However, the right main gear skidded on some hard bedrock, and before the flight instructor could get off the brakes, the airplane nosed over. Both wings and the vertical stabilizer sustained structural damage.
The flight instructor commented that the accident could have been prevented "if we had quit landing there when the winds picked up."