What happened
The aircraft touched down on the runway, but shortly after, the student pilot reached down to adjust the trim settings. This action caused the aircraft to become airborne again unexpectedly. The plane then bounced hard against the runway surface two times. Recognizing the situation, the student pilot initiated a go-around procedure.
After completing the go-around and making a subsequent landing, the pilot did not immediately realize the extent of the damage sustained during the bounce. During the rollout of this second landing, the aircraft nosed down unexpectedly. This nose-down attitude resulted in significant structural damage to the forward section of the aircraft.
The investigation
Post-incident inspection revealed that the propeller, engine cowl, firewall, engine mount, and left wing tip were damaged. The pilot remained unaware of the severity of the nose gear issues until after the second landing sequence was completed.
Findings
The primary factor in this incident was the premature adjustment of the trim control by the student pilot while the aircraft was still on the ground immediately after touchdown. This input caused an unintended lift-off, leading to a hard bounce and subsequent go-around. The damage occurred during the final landing rollout when the nose gear failed to support the aircraft's weight properly.