What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 11, 2022 the student pilot (sp) met with his CFI around 1PM at a private strip approximately 2 miles west of wolf lake airport. The CFI was to instruct the sp on the tailwheel endorsement. The sp had worked with the CFI three weeks earlier to finish his sel rating. This training was going to occur in Piper PA-12 privacy data omitted that had recently been purchased by the sp and his father and was the first tailwheel flight for the sp.
After meeting at 1PM they spent an hour with aircraft familiarization and walked the runway together. They took off(to) at 2PM and headed south. The CFI performed the to because the sp was not comfortable yet. The flight went and performed maneuvers over the palmer hay flat area. After the maneuver portion they proceeded to goose bay and performed approximately 5 or 6 landings working on directional control.
The flight headed back to the private departure strip around 3 pm. The sp had performed the landings at goose bay but was not comfortable on the shorter private strip and had the CFI take the controls to land. The controls were exchanged midfield downwind. The sp input from there was limited to add flaps and carb heat hot to cold.
The aircraft touched down and bounced around midfield on the 1,000 foot surface at a higher than planned ground speed. The aircraft settled the second time at a point where a gravel road crossing the landing surface that was a slight rise causing the aircraft to bounce a second time. When the aircraft touched for the third time it was approximately 150-200 feet from the end of the landing surface and still moving at a high rate of speed. The CFI applied the brakes and felt the tail start to rise and released the brakes. The nose ended up hitting the ground and flipping the airplane. The aircraft came to rest upside down with the engine not running. Both persons exited the airplane and turned the fuel and master switch off. The sp called his family and noted that the time was 3:36PM.
The left wing was bent with a wing strut, one prop blade broke off and the rudder bent over with several dents on various other fairings. There were no mechanical issues found with the airplane. The CFI stated that the wind had shifted to a 10 knot tailwind. The flap setting is suspected to be at 20 degrees instead of full.
The most likely scenario was over braking by the CFI due to a fast and long landing. Wind and flaps setting likely contributed to the unstable approach that was allowed to continue the point of the accident. The CFI should have been able to identify the higher than planned speed and corrected the situation prior to the event.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 11, 2022 THE STUDENT PILOT (SP) MET WITH HIS CFI AROUND 1PM AT A PRIVATE STRIP APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES WEST OF WOLF LAKE AIRPORT. THE CFI WAS TO INSTRUCT THE SP ON THE TAILWHEEL ENDORSEMENT. THE SP HAD WORKED WITH THE CFI THREE WEEKS EARLIER TO FINISH HIS SEL RATING. THIS TRAINING WAS GOING TO OCCUR IN PIPER PA-12 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT HAD RECENTLY BEEN PURCHASED BY THE SP AND HIS FATHER AND WAS THE FIRST TAILWHEEL FLIGHT FOR THE SP.
AFTER MEETING AT 1PM THEY SPENT AN HOUR WITH AIRCRAFT FAMILIARIZATION AND WALKED THE RUNWAY TOGETHER. THEY TOOK OFF(TO) AT 2PM AND HEADED SOUTH. THE CFI PERFORMED THE TO BECAUSE THE SP WAS NOT COMFORTABLE YET. THE FLIGHT WENT AND PERFORMED MANEUVERS OVER THE PALMER HAY FLAT AREA. AFTER THE MANEUVER PORTION THEY PROCEEDED TO GOOSE BAY AND PERFORMED APPROXIMATELY 5 OR 6 LANDINGS WORKING ON DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.
THE FLIGHT HEADED BACK TO THE PRIVATE DEPARTURE STRIP AROUND 3 PM. THE SP HAD PERFORMED THE LANDINGS AT GOOSE BAY BUT WAS NOT COMFORTABLE ON THE SHORTER PRIVATE STRIP AND HAD THE CFI TAKE THE CONTROLS TO LAND. THE CONTROLS WERE EXCHANGED MIDFIELD DOWNWIND. THE SP INPUT FROM THERE WAS LIMITED TO ADD FLAPS AND CARB HEAT HOT TO COLD.
THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND BOUNCED AROUND MIDFIELD ON THE 1,000 FOOT SURFACE AT A HIGHER THAN PLANNED GROUND SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED THE SECOND TIME AT A POINT WHERE A GRAVEL ROAD CROSSING THE LANDING SURFACE THAT WAS A SLIGHT RISE CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO BOUNCE A SECOND TIME. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED FOR THE THIRD TIME IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 150-200 FEET FROM THE END OF THE LANDING SURFACE AND STILL MOVING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE CFI APPLIED THE BRAKES AND FELT THE TAIL START TO RISE AND RELEASED THE BRAKES. THE NOSE ENDED UP HITTING THE GROUND AND FLIPPING THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN WITH THE ENGINE NOT RUNNING. BOTH PERSONS EXITED THE AIRPLANE AND TURNED THE FUEL AND MASTER SWITCH OFF. THE SP CALLED HIS FAMILY AND NOTED THAT THE TIME WAS 3:36PM.
THE LEFT WING WAS BENT WITH A WING STRUT, ONE PROP BLADE BROKE OFF AND THE RUDDER BENT OVER WITH SEVERAL DENTS ON VARIOUS OTHER FAIRINGS. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL ISSUES FOUND WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE CFI STATED THAT THE WIND HAD SHIFTED TO A 10 KNOT TAILWIND. THE FLAP SETTING IS SUSPECTED TO BE AT 20 DEGREES INSTEAD OF FULL.
THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO WAS OVER BRAKING BY THE CFI DUE TO A FAST AND LONG LANDING. WIND AND FLAPS SETTING LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO THE UNSTABLE APPROACH THAT WAS ALLOWED TO CONTINUE THE POINT OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CFI SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE HIGHER THAN PLANNED SPEED AND CORRECTED THE SITUATION PRIOR TO THE EVENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.