Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot landed on the wrong runway. The tailwind contributed to the loss of directional control.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot stated he misunderstood the wind direction and landed with a quartering tailwind. He lost control, swerved off the runway and nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 27, 1995, about 1930 eastern daylight time, N69140, a Cessna 152, operated by National Aviation Academy nosed over on landing at New Port Richey, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 solo instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated from Clearwater, Florida, about 1 hour earlier. The student pilot landed on runway 08 with a left quartering downwind. The airplane departed the runway to the left, struck a ditch and nosed over. -