Primary finding
Probable cause
A nose-over due to excessive brake application.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
According to the pilot, he was conducting a series of scheduled flights for World War II veterans and their families in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The flight departed, remained within 7 nautical miles of the departure airport, and returned for landing on runway 22. The pilot reported that the wind was from 230 degrees and was light and variable, but a surface observation weather report taken from the accident airport about 5 minutes before the accident indicated the wind was from 280 degrees at 7 knots. Upon touchdown, the airplane began a rapid and abnormal deceleration, which the pilot was unable to prevent. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted on the runway. The pilot stated that he believed the front seat passenger put her feet on the rudder pedals in order to brace for landing and inadvertently operated the brakes. The passenger stated that she remembered keeping her feet flat on the floor. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the brakes did not show any signs of leaks and that they were functioning normally after several tests. The pilot stated that prior to the nose-over he did not experience any malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he was conducting a series of scheduled flights for World War II veterans and their families that day in the tail-wheel airplane equipped with Redline disk brakes. The flight departed and remained within 7 nautical miles of the departure airport and returned for landing on runway 22. The pilot reported the wind was from 230 degrees and was light and variable, but a surface observation weather report taken from the accident airport about 5 minutes before the accident indicated the wind was from 280 degrees at 7 knots. Upon touchdown on runway 22, the airplane began a rapid and abnormal deceleration, which he was unable to prevent. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted on the runway. The pilot stated that he believed the front seat passenger put her feet on the rudder pedals in order to brace for landing and "…inadvertently [operated] the brakes". The passenger stated that she remembers "… keeping my feet flat on the floor…." The nose-over caused substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. Post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the brakes did not show any signs of leaks and they were functioning normally after several tests of the brakes were completed. The pilot stated that prior to the nose over, "the aircraft was operating normally in all aspects."