Primary finding
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s unintentional selection of the wrong, snow-covered landing surface, which resulted in a nose-over.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor and the student pilot had been conducting night landing practice at a secondary airport. The flight instructor reported that during the return leg of the flight, while on approach to land at their home airport, he took control of the airplane from the student pilot. The flight instructor subsequently lost situational awareness and inadvertently aligned the airplane with a snow covered waterway instead of the intended runway. The airplane touched down on the snow and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.