Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive brake application during the landing roll that resulted in a nose over.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that during a local personal flight, he decided to make an off-airport landing onto a gravel runway. Although the touchdown in the tailwheel-equipped airplane was uneventful, the pilot applied hard braking in order to minimize the landing roll on the rough terrain. As the airplane began to slow it nosed over coming to rest on its back. Both of the airplane’s wings, the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.