Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, he "felt an updraft," and the airplane landed hard. The airplane bounced, the nose landing gear (NLG) struck the ground, the airplane bounced again, and he then performed a go-around. The student entered the traffic pattern and landed without further incident. The student reported that, during the taxi to the ramp, the rudder pedals "felt funny." He added that, as he and the flight instructor put a cover over the airplane, he noticed the NLG "looked funny." He asked a local mechanic to examine the airplane and then decided to send the airplane to a repair station to be repaired. During the airplane repair, it was revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport revealed that, about 30 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 8 knots. The same weather observation station reported that, about 23 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 190° at 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 22.
Source record
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, he "felt an updraft" and the airplane landed hard. The airplane bounced, the nose landing gear struck the ground, bounced again, and the he performed a go-around. The student entered the traffic pattern and landed without further incident. The student reported that, during the taxi to the ramp, the rudder pedals "felt funny". He added that, as he and the flight instructor put a cover over the airplane, he noticed the nose landing gear "looked funny". He requested a local mechanic examine the airplane, and then decided to send the airplane to a repair station to be repaired. During the airplane repair, it was revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 30 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 180° at 8 knots. The same weather observation station reported that, about 23 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 190° at 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 22.