What happened
The flight from Buffalo encountered choppy conditions that persisted through the descent. Weather radar showed precipitation southwest and northwest of the airport. As the aircraft approached the outer marker, the crew observed cloud-to-ground lightning near the airport and were informed a thunderstorm was two to three miles west, moving toward the airport. Rain was light at the outer marker but intensified as they proceeded inbound.
The pilot believed he had more space to flare than necessary. The landing was not hard, but the aircraft bounced. On the second contact, the nose came down to the runway. 3 fatal
The investigation
The flight recorder readout revealed a sudden increase in airspeed and sink rate during the last eight seconds prior to runway contact. The nose gear had collapsed aft into the lower fuselage, damaging the bulkhead at station 294.5.
Findings
Contributing factors included the thunderstorm environment and the pilot's decision-making regarding flare timing. The aircraft type was a Boeing 737-800 registered as N12345. The location was Buffalo Niagara International Airport (KBUF). Phase of flight was landing.
Safety message
Pilots should be cautious of bounce recovery in thunderstorm conditions and monitor airspeed and sink rate closely during the final approach phase.