North American SNJ-6 N211A accident near Readington, New Jersey

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing which resulted in an aircraft nose-over.

NTSB analysis

While landing on a 3,442 foot long by 200 foot wide turf runway, the pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane touched down in a 3 point attitude. He advised that his approach was normal and on speed, and the airplane touched down normally at 60 to 63 miles per hour and began to decelerate. The turf was a "bit rough" and had some areas that were bumpier than others. The airplane hit a bump at around 30-35 MPH and launched back in to the air to an estimated altitude of about 6 to 8 feet above ground level in a nose high attitude. The airplane then touched down tail first, then the main landing gear touched down. The tail then bounced back in the air and continued to climb up, forcing the plane to wheel barrel for about 50 feet then the propeller struck the ground, the engine cowling contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed over onto its back in the center of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it had incurred substantial damage to multiple areas including the propeller, engine cowling, cockpit canopy, vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left wing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14CA394 for the full record.