Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot's improper flare during landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot stated that he was practicing touch-and-go landings prior to the accident. On his seventh landing he misjudged the flare, porpoised, and landed hard on the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and then landed on the nose gear. He applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. He returned to the airport and made an uneventful landing on another runway. Upon exiting the runway he realized that he did not have directional control of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and forward lower fuselage.
Source record
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated that he was practicing touch and go landings prior to the accident. On his seventh landing, he misjudged the flare, porpoised, and landed hard on the main landing gear. The airplane bounced and then landed on the nose gear. He applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. He returned to the airport and made an uneventful landing on another runway. Upon exiting the runway he realized that he did not have directional control of the airplane. Subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall and forward lower fuselage.