What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) After a 30-minute flight, the pilot landed his single-engine tricycle gear homebuilt airplane at a private 3,500-foot long, by 50-foot wide grass airstrip to attend a fly-in. The event hosted numerous airplanes, many with a similar tricycle gear design. The 4,300-hour airline transport pilot reported that the airplane touched down on the main landing gear at approximately 60 mph with full flaps. The pilot added that shortly after touch down, during the landing roll on runway 02, the nose landing gear contacted "an irregularity in the landing surface" which caused the nose landing gear assembly to fold aft. Following the collapse of the nose gear assembly, the propeller struck the ground and the airplane nosed-over coming to rest in the inverted position. The canopy was crushed; however, both occupants were able to egress the airplane unassisted. Several of the pilots attending the fly-in witnessed the accident and later assisted in the recovery of the airplane from the runway. A couple of the pilots, who were also builders of the same model of airplane, were able to evaluate the condition of the landing surface, and failed to find any irregularities with the landing surface.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) AFTER A 30-MINUTE FLIGHT, THE PILOT LANDED HIS SINGLE-ENGINE TRICYCLE GEAR HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE AT A PRIVATE 3,500-FOOT LONG, BY 50-FOOT WIDE GRASS AIRSTRIP TO ATTEND A FLY-IN. THE EVENT HOSTED NUMEROUS AIRPLANES, MANY WITH A SIMILAR TRICYCLE GEAR DESIGN. THE 4,300-HOUR AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH WITH FULL FLAPS. THE PILOT ADDED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TOUCH DOWN, DURING THE LANDING ROLL ON RUNWAY 02, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR CONTACTED "AN IRREGULARITY IN THE LANDING SURFACE" WHICH CAUSED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY TO FOLD AFT. FOLLOWING THE COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY, THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED-OVER COMING TO REST IN THE INVERTED POSITION. THE CANOPY WAS CRUSHED; HOWEVER, BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE ABLE TO EGRESS THE AIRPLANE UNASSISTED. SEVERAL OF THE PILOTS ATTENDING THE FLY-IN WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT AND LATER ASSISTED IN THE RECOVERY OF THE AIRPLANE FROM THE RUNWAY. A COUPLE OF THE PILOTS, WHO WERE ALSO BUILDERS OF THE SAME MODEL OF AIRPLANE, WERE ABLE TO EVALUATE THE CONDITION OF THE LANDING SURFACE, AND FAILED TO FIND ANY IRREGULARITIES WITH THE LANDING SURFACE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.