NTSB Factual Report

The student pilot was practicing landings in his tail wheeled airplane. The wind was calm and the first eight landings were normal. On the ninth landing, the pilot thought that a gust of wind caught the airplane just before touch down, resulting in the right wheel hitting the runway hard which drove the wheel hub up into the strut. The airplane subsequently ground looped and flipped over inverted. After the accident, the pilot stated that if he would have recognized the wind gust sooner, he could have initiated a go-around. He also reported that if he would have known that the wheel hub broke, he would have increased the throttle to keep the front of the airplane elevated. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot's loss of control while landing, which resulted in a ground loop.