Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s hard landing and subsequent failure to maintain airspeed and bank control during the aborted landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing with a slight right crosswind, he flared too early and the airplane bounced. He aborted the landing by adding full power, and the airplane drifted to the left. The left wing contacted the ground and he over corrected to the right. The airplane stalled and impacted the ground, and subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and the empennage. The pilot reported that the wind at the accident airport at the time of the accident was from 280° at 6 knots, gusting to 8 knots. The pilot aborted the landing on runway 25. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
The pilot in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during landing with a slight right crosswind, he flared too early and the airplane bounced. He aborted the landing by adding full power, and the airplane drifted to the left. The left wing contacted the ground and he over corrected to the right. The airplane stalled and impacted the ground, and subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and the empennage. The pilot reported that the wind at the accident airport at the time of the accident was from 280° at 6 knots, gusting to 8 knots. The pilot aborted the landing on runway 25. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.