What happened
The incident occurred during a training flight involving a student pilot. The pilot initially elected to execute a go-around on his first approach to the runway. On the subsequent second approach, as the aircraft passed over the runway threshold, the student pilot ballooned the aircraft, causing it to rise excessively.
In an attempt to correct the altitude and attitude, remedial action was initiated by the pilot. However, this intervention resulted in a loss of control due to overcontrol. The aircraft subsequently struck the runway surface slightly nosewheel first with significant force. Following the impact, the pilot reported that he was experiencing extreme fatigue at the time of the event.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed damage consistent with a hard landing on the nose gear. The physical evidence supported the pilot's account of striking the runway nosewheel first. No mechanical failures were identified that would have contributed to the loss of control prior to impact.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to this accident were the student pilot's decision to balloon the aircraft during a go-around and his subsequent overcontrol of the flight controls. The pilot's self-reported extreme fatigue was a significant contributing factor to the degraded motor skills and judgment observed during the critical phase of flight.