Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of control during the landing flare, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot reported that the accident flight was his first time flying the airplane from the right seat. During the landing flare, the airplane floated, and he recalled that he “was not able to think through how to fly the airplane with [his] right hand fast enough and the nose wheel hit the runway and [the airplane] started to porpoise.” The airplane then drifted, and he attempted to land in the grass on the side of the runway. The nosewheel struck a swale and fractured, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.