Incident Overview
On August 15, 2011, at approximately 0715 Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer G-164B aircraft, registration N6628Q, nosed over during landing at a private airstrip outside of Oakesdale, Washington. The airplane was operated by Fender Air Service, Inc., as an aerial application flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, empennage, and firewall. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he was flying from one landing strip to another; however, the wind velocity was higher than expected after takeoff. He elected to return to the departure strip so that he could call the other location to check the current wind conditions. The pilot stated that the wind was blowing out of the south-southwest, which favored a 12- to 15-mile-per-hour tailwind.
Landing Sequence
While landing the tail wheel equipped airplane, the pilot stated that due to the tailwind and excessive airspeed, the airplane’s tail immediately began coming up after touchdown. After approximately 20 feet of roll, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.