Accident Overview
During a night practice flight, a student pilot with a total of two hours of night flying experience flared high on final approach. The aircraft subsequently stalled and landed hard on the nose gear. The landing resulted in a hard impact on the nose gear.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that when he turned on the red instrument lights, they would not work. He then used the white dome light for illumination. The pilot reported that the white dome light created a glare in the cockpit, which affected his depth perception. Post-accident examination revealed that the instrument light rheostat had not been turned far enough to provide adequate illumination. The pilot failed to adjust the rheostat sufficiently.
Post-Accident Inspection
After the accident, the instrument lights were checked and found to operate normally. The system functioned correctly when the rheostat was properly adjusted.