What happened
The aircraft was engaged in a landing operation at an airport runway. A witness observed the pilot pushing the nose down as the plane approached the ground. The student pilot had initiated a go-around maneuver earlier but decided to continue with the landing attempt approximately halfway down the runway.
As the aircraft touched down, it began to porpoise, a phenomenon where the plane bounces repeatedly along the longitudinal axis. During this sequence, the propeller struck the runway surface. The repeated impact and vertical oscillation caused the nose gear to collapse under the stress.
The investigation
Investigation of the event focused on the mechanical failure of the landing gear and the flight dynamics leading up to the incident. The witness account confirmed the pilot's control inputs during the final approach phase. The physical evidence indicated that the structural integrity of the nose gear was compromised due to the porpoising motion.
Findings
The primary factor in this accident was the uncontrolled porpoising of the aircraft during landing. This instability resulted from the pilot's control inputs while attempting to land after a go-around. The propeller strike and subsequent nose gear collapse were direct consequences of the excessive vertical forces generated by the bouncing motion.