The pilot landed the RANS S-6ES at a private airstrip near Mullen, Neb., where the airplane contacted gopher mounds and soft ground.
The nose landing gear collapsed, the airplane nosed over, and it sustained substantial empennage damage.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the gopher holes and soft terrain the airplane encountered, which resulted in the airplane nosing over.
NTSB Identification: CEN13CA545
This August 2013 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
The FAA should have sited the gopher for homesteading on the private strip. Just because the government didn’t build doesn’t mean it was to code, either.
When asked if he needed medical assistance after the accident, the pilot simply responded with, “I’m alright. Don’t nobody worry ’bout me.”
Where’s the “Like” button? 🙂 Too funny!