N778T

On April 27, 2006, about 1930 Pacific daylight time, a M. C. Thomas Thorpe T-18, N778T, veered off the runway and nosed over during landing at Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) pilot and the private pilot undergoing instruction (PUI) sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight departed Stead Airport about 1830. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot submitted a written report. He had recently purchased the airplane, and this was his third instructional flight. The main purpose of this flight was to work on directional control of the airplane during landings. They departed on runway 08, with a crosswind from 160 degrees at 3 to 4 miles per hour (mph), for work in the traffic pattern.

During the second landing, the pilot landed to the left of the centerline. As the tail wheel settled onto the runway, the airplane veered to the left. He increased the throttle, and applied right rudder. The airplane did not seem to respond, so he applied the brakes. It veered hard to the left and went off the runway into soft sand and sagebrush. The airplane caught in the soft sand, and nosed over. The pilot broke out a portion of the windscreen, and he and the CFI crawled out. Emergency assistance and local volunteers arrived on scene. The pilot drove himself to the hospital, and received treatment for lacerations and a separated shoulder.

The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.