The pilot reported that he was practicing off airport landings on a gravel bar, as part of a backcountry flying course, with a company safety pilot in the rear seat. During the landing roll and as the airplane approached the end of the gravel bar, he applied the brakes and the airplane nosed over.

The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right forward lift strut and the empennage.