Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control following a hard landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to the pilot, he was performing a full stop landing when he encountered a quartering tailwind just prior to touchdown, resulting in a hard landing. The airplane began to ground loop and approached the edge of the runway. He applied brakes to prevent the airplane from exiting the runway into rough terrain, resulting in the airplane nosing over and becoming inverted on the runway and substantially damaging the rudder. The pilot stated there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Source record
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was performing a full stop landing when he encountered a quartering tailwind just prior to touchdown, resulting in a hard landing. The airplane began to "ground loop" and approached the edge of the runway. The pilot applied brakes to prevent the airplane from exiting the runway into rough terrain, resulting in the airplane nosing over and becoming inverted on the runway and substantially damaging the rudder. The pilot stated there were no malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.