WPR17LA098

The flight instructor and private pilot were conducting a personal flight in the tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane. About 10 minutes before landing, the flight instructor, who had no previous experience flying the airplane, took control of the flight from the pilot and continued flying the airplane to landing. Due to his lack of prior experience flying the airplane, which had foot pedals that were raised off the floor, he inadvertently applied pressure to the toe brakes, which resulted in the airplane nosing over immediately on touchdown. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wing attachment fittings during the accident. Both the pilot and flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

On May 5, 2017, about 0915 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Bounds Bearcoupe, N136BC, nosed-over during landing at Hanksville Airport, Hanksville, Utah. The flight instructor and private pilot were seriously injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to the private pilot, and operated as a personal flight by the instructor at the time of the accident, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight departed about 0830 from a backcountry airstrip in Utah, known as Hidden Splendor. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.The instructor stated that about 10 minutes before landing, he asked the pilot if he could take control of the airplane and perform the landing. The pilot agreed, and he transitioned control to the instructor. The instructor stated that the airplane was a unique design, with foot pedals that were raised off the floor. He therefore needed to hold his feet in place on the pedals to reach the toe-brakes, rather than rest his heels on the floor as he was accustomed. As such, there was no reference for him to properly gauge the position of his foot during the landing approach. He stated that as soon as the main landing gear touched the ground, the airplane nosed-over, and he realized he had been inadvertently applying brake pressure. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wing attach fittings during the accident (Photo 1). The airplane was designed and built by the pilot; it was a mid-wing design, and configured with tailwheel-type landing gear. The pilot reported about 296 hours of flight experience in the airplane, and the landing approach was the first time the instructor had flown the airplane. Both the pilot and instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Photo 1: Airplane at Accident Site