Aviat A1 N958TW accident near Tellico Plains, Tennessee

Probable cause

The pilot's overapplication of brakes after landing long on a constrained runway and with a tailwind, which resulted in a nose-over.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was attempting to land on his 1,200-ft-long private airstrip. When he flew by the windsock to check wind direction and speed, he noticed a significant crosswind was prevailing. After turning onto final approach, and after passing the point at which a go-around could be performed due to trees and terrain off the end of the runway, he noticed the wind had changed direction and was now a strong tailwind. He continued the approach and landed more than halfway down the runway, then aggressively applied the brakes to attempt to stop. The airplane subsequently nosed over and sustained substantial damage to the rudder and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA24LA017 for the full record.