Piper PA 18A N1952P accident near Wheatland, Wyoming

Probable cause

The front seat pilot's excessive approach speed and subsequent brake application during the landing which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's failure to maintain situational awareness.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor/owner and pilot rated passenger departed the local airport in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, to inspect ranch property and livestock. The flight instructor was in the rear seat of the tandem cockpit airplane. The pilots planned to land in a pasture to check on livestock, and the pilot in the front seat was on the controls. They agreed on a suitable landing area, and during the approach the instructor's forward visibility was limited, and he failed to see that they were carrying excess airspeed and had progressed too far down the airstrip for a normal landing. The front-seat pilot, seeing the end of the airstrip approaching rapidly, applied the brakes sharply. The instructor directed the pilot to "relax" and allow the tail to settle. The brakes abruptly grabbed a second time and the tail came up sharply, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The airplane slid on its nose, veered left, and flipped onto its back. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14CA152 for the full record.