What happened
The incident occurred during the landing phase of flight. The student pilot was operating the aircraft under conditions requiring crosswind correction. Upon approaching the runway threshold, the pilot attempted to execute a flare maneuver to arrest the descent rate.
During this critical phase, the pilot pulled the control column too far back, raising the nose angle excessively. This over-elevation caused the main landing gear to impact the runway surface with significant force. The aircraft rebounded into the air rather than settling onto the pavement.
Recognizing the loss of altitude and airspeed, the pilot applied power in an attempt to maintain flight and recover from the bounce. However, the aircraft struck the runway a second time. The repeated impacts compromised the structural integrity of the nose gear assembly. Consequently, the nose section collapsed downward, causing the aircraft to nosed over onto its fuselage.
The investigation
The physical examination of the wreckage revealed damage consistent with multiple hard landings and subsequent ground loop or nose-over dynamics. The primary mechanical failure was the collapse of the nose landing gear strut due to excessive vertical load factors exceeding design limits during the bounce sequence.
Findings
- excessive nose-up pitch during the landing flare
- hard touchdown resulting in aircraft rebound
- nose landing gear collapse following repeated impacts
- loss of directional control leading to nosed-over position