Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, resulting in a hard, bounced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was conducting a practice instrument landing system approach in visual meteorological conditions. During the landing approach, the pilot was provided a caution for wake turbulence due to a departing regional jet. During the landing flare, about 5 feet above the runway, the airplane descended suddenly and impacted the ground hard on the main landing gear before it “rocked to [the] nosewheel harshly.” The pilot attempted to abort the landing the airplane did not respond as he expected, and after several more bounces down the runway the airplane came to rest with its nose resting on the ground. A small postaccident fire damaged the area around the airplane’s engine, and the airplane’s wings were substantially damaged during the accident. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Airport surveillance video and data recovered from the airplane’s electronic flight instruments showed that at the time of the accident a 10 to 13 knot left quartering headwind prevailed. Additionally, review of air traffic control data showed that an airliner had departed from a parallel runway about 1 minute before the accident airplane crossed the runway threshold. The parallel runway was to the right, and downwind of the runway the accident pilot was approaching, therefore it is unlikely that wake turbulence from the departing airplane impacted the accident airplane.