What happened
The aircraft experienced a bounce during the landing phase. To recover from the bounce, the pilot applied full throttle. As the nose of the aircraft came up, the left wing dropped significantly. This loss of control caused the aircraft to veer off the runway surface.
Upon leaving the paved area, the aircraft collided with two other aircraft that were tied down at the location. The incident occurred shortly after the operator had installed large tires on the aircraft to replace the wheel skis. At the time of the event, the pilot had completed only four landings using wheels and had not flown with an instructor recently.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the immediate sequence of events following the landing bounce. Examination of the operational context revealed that the aircraft configuration had recently been modified with large tires replacing wheel skis. This change was significant given the pilot's limited experience with wheeled landings.
Findings
Contributing factors to the accident included the pilot's lack of recent instruction and limited experience with the specific landing gear configuration. The transition from wheel skis to large tires required a level of proficiency that the pilot had not yet demonstrated through supervised flight. The decision to apply full throttle during the bounce, combined with the resulting pitch-up and wing drop, led directly to the loss of directional control.
Safety message
Pilots transitioning to different landing gear configurations should ensure they receive adequate instruction and practice before operating the aircraft independently. Familiarity with the handling characteristics of new equipment is critical for maintaining control during normal and abnormal flight phases.