What happened
On June 30, 2011, a Piper PA-16, registration N5985H, was performing a landing in Huntington, Indiana. During the landing roll, the pilot attempted to slow the aircraft by applying the brakes. This action caused the tailwheel-equipped airplane to nose over on the runway. The accident resulted in no injuries to the pilot, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the empennage.
The investigation
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures present in the aircraft at the time of the event. The weather conditions during the accident were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles.