N17119Stinson SR-8B

The pilot reported that he made a normal approach and landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left, exited the runway, and nosed over. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left and right wings, vertical stabilizer, and rudder sustained structural damage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplanes flight control systems or brake systems at the time of the accident.

During a firmer than normal three-point touchdown in the tail wheel-equipped airplane, the pilot's feet slid down low on the rudder pedals, where they inadvertently came in contact with the floor-mounted heel brakes. Therefore, as the pilot made directional control inputs to the rudder pedals, he also made unintended brake applications. Those brake applications resulted in the airplane rolling up onto its nose, and then falling off to one side. When it fell off to one side, the end of the wing came in contact with the runway, resulting in damage to its interior primary structure. The pilot said there was no malfunction of the rudder or braking systems.