Narrative:

I was returning to my home airport following a solo 2 hour out-and-back cross country flight in daylight VMC. I entered a standard pattern and set up for a normal landing on runway 18R. On final, I pulled on full flaps, 30 degrees, to make a steep descent to the runway. I was a little late on the flare and bounced once, slightly, and on the second touchdown I successfully initiated a wheel landing. While slowing down with the tail still off the ground, I retracted the flaps with the johnson bar. This resulted in me leaning over a bit, at which point I began to lose directional control. After a couple of swerves at low speed, I departed the runway to the left side at a very low speed. The ground was very soft (muddy) from recent rains. Much to my surprise, rather than continuing over the ground, the aircraft began to nose over at very slow rate resulting in the propeller contacting the ground and the aircraft coming to rest on its nose. No injury to me, other than to my pride. The aircraft did not suffer substantial damage and there was no damage to airport facilities, so this was not a rptable accident. The propeller sustained 1 bent blade and the other blade had a few nicks at the tip. The spinner has some mud on it but otherwise appears undamaged. The long heated pitot tube was bent about 40 degrees inboard on its last 6 inches. The left wingtip contacted the ground, leaving the fiberglass tip undamaged but with a slight dimple on the metal leading edge just inboard of the tip. With help from airport employees, we got the aircraft off its nose and rolled it clear of the runway and back to its hangar. This was a classic loss of directional control/ground loop incident in a tail-dragger. The obvious lesson is rule #1 of tail-dragger flying -- do not relax or lose focus until the aircraft is tied down.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AVIAT HUSKY A1B PLT LOST ACFT CTL AND HAD A GND LOOP ON LNDG. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED.

Narrative: I WAS RETURNING TO MY HOME ARPT FOLLOWING A SOLO 2 HR OUT-AND-BACK XCOUNTRY FLT IN DAYLIGHT VMC. I ENTERED A STANDARD PATTERN AND SET UP FOR A NORMAL LNDG ON RWY 18R. ON FINAL, I PULLED ON FULL FLAPS, 30 DEGS, TO MAKE A STEEP DSCNT TO THE RWY. I WAS A LITTLE LATE ON THE FLARE AND BOUNCED ONCE, SLIGHTLY, AND ON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN I SUCCESSFULLY INITIATED A WHEEL LNDG. WHILE SLOWING DOWN WITH THE TAIL STILL OFF THE GND, I RETRACTED THE FLAPS WITH THE JOHNSON BAR. THIS RESULTED IN ME LEANING OVER A BIT, AT WHICH POINT I BEGAN TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL CTL. AFTER A COUPLE OF SWERVES AT LOW SPD, I DEPARTED THE RWY TO THE L SIDE AT A VERY LOW SPD. THE GND WAS VERY SOFT (MUDDY) FROM RECENT RAINS. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, RATHER THAN CONTINUING OVER THE GND, THE ACFT BEGAN TO NOSE OVER AT VERY SLOW RATE RESULTING IN THE PROP CONTACTING THE GND AND THE ACFT COMING TO REST ON ITS NOSE. NO INJURY TO ME, OTHER THAN TO MY PRIDE. THE ACFT DID NOT SUFFER SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO ARPT FACILITIES, SO THIS WAS NOT A RPTABLE ACCIDENT. THE PROP SUSTAINED 1 BENT BLADE AND THE OTHER BLADE HAD A FEW NICKS AT THE TIP. THE SPINNER HAS SOME MUD ON IT BUT OTHERWISE APPEARS UNDAMAGED. THE LONG HEATED PITOT TUBE WAS BENT ABOUT 40 DEGS INBOARD ON ITS LAST 6 INCHES. THE L WINGTIP CONTACTED THE GND, LEAVING THE FIBERGLASS TIP UNDAMAGED BUT WITH A SLIGHT DIMPLE ON THE METAL LEADING EDGE JUST INBOARD OF THE TIP. WITH HELP FROM ARPT EMPLOYEES, WE GOT THE ACFT OFF ITS NOSE AND ROLLED IT CLR OF THE RWY AND BACK TO ITS HANGAR. THIS WAS A CLASSIC LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CTL/GND LOOP INCIDENT IN A TAIL-DRAGGER. THE OBVIOUS LESSON IS RULE #1 OF TAIL-DRAGGER FLYING -- DO NOT RELAX OR LOSE FOCUS UNTIL THE ACFT IS TIED DOWN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.