Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to go-around during an unstable approach, which resulted in a hard landing, runway excursion, and nose over.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that following a normal approach to landing, about 20 ft above the runway he encountered a “slight tail wind.” He reported that at this point, “I should have gone around” but he believed the landing was salvageable. Subsequently, the airplane touched down hard, and he maneuvered the airplane off the runway into grass where the airplane nosed over. The empennage and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.