Primary finding
Probable cause
the improper recovery from a bounced landing by the pilot-in- command.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was attempting a full stop landing. The airplane touched down hard and ballooned. A witness estimated the airplane went 25-30 feet in the air. The student then added power to execute a go-around, but the airplane was in a nose-down attitude. The airplane struck the runway collapsing the nose landing gear.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 16, 1993, at 1315 eastern standard time, a Piper PA- 38-112, N2353K, sustained substantial damage during a bounced landing at the Griffith Airport, Griffith, Indiana. The solo student pilot was not injured. The instructional flight originated at the Gary Regional Airport, Gary, Indiana, at 1200. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. A witness reported the airplane touched down and ballooned about 25-30 feet in the air. He stated it sounded like the pilot then applied power. He saw the airplane contact the runway nose down, and the nose landing gear collapse. -