Incident Overview
A flight instructor was providing tailwheel training to a private pilot who had no prior tailwheel experience. The incident occurred during the second landing attempt. The tailwheel contacted the runway first, followed by a slight bounce, after which the airplane landed on all three landing gear.
Loss of Directional Control
According to the instructor, the airplane began to swerve left and right immediately after touchdown. The student did not apply the necessary corrections, prompting the instructor to take over the flight controls. During the recovery effort, the brakes were applied, causing the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted on the runway.
Brake Application Discrepancy
The flight instructor stated that he did not recall touching the brakes during the recovery. He speculated that the student might have inadvertently applied the brakes, leading to the nose-over.
Aircraft Damage and Examination
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The instructor reported that no mechanical malfunctions or failures were present prior to the accident. A postaccident examination conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found no evidence of preaccident mechanical issues that would have prevented normal operation.
Conclusion
The incident occurred during a routine training flight with no reported mechanical anomalies. The exact sequence of brake application remains unclear, but the outcome was a nose-over and substantial damage to the aircraft.