Event WPR13CA089

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he intended to land the tail-wheel equipped airplane on a sloped asphalt runway that he had not landed at prior to the accident flight. The first landing attempt terminated with a go-around because he was not comfortable with the approach. The second approach was high and a little too fast which caused the airplane to float down the runway. When the airplane touched down it bounced; after a second bounce, the pilot applied brakes and corrective action. The airplane veered off the hard surface runway, encountered soft mud and subsequently nosed over substantially damaging the vertical stabilizer, rudder and elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that he intended to land the tailwheel-equipped airplane on a sloped asphalt runway that he had not landed at before the accident flight. The first landing attempt terminated with a go-around because he was not comfortable with the approach. The second approach was high and a little too fast, which caused the airplane to float down the runway. When the airplane touched down, it bounced; after a second bounce, the pilot applied increasingly aggressive braking for fear of overrunning the runway. The airplane veered off the hard surface runway, encountered soft mud, and subsequently nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-(general)-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C