Incident Overview
A pilot reported that during landing, the aircraft ballooned on touchdown due to an excessive approach airspeed. The nose wheel then came down hard on the second runway contact. Following a short stop at Grand Canyon, the pilot departed for a flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. After arrival in Las Vegas, the pilot discovered damage to the nose gear strut and firewall during a routine postflight inspection of the aircraft.
Sequence of Events
The incident began when the aircraft touched down with an approach airspeed that the pilot later described as excessive. This caused the aircraft to balloon—a rebound off the runway. On the subsequent contact with the runway, the nose wheel struck the ground hard. The pilot continued the flight after a brief stop at Grand Canyon, flying to Las Vegas. Only during the postflight inspection at Las Vegas did the pilot observe the extent of the damage: the nose gear strut and the firewall had been compromised.
Damage Assessment
The damage was confined to the nose gear strut and the firewall. No other damage was reported. The aircraft was taken out of service for repairs following the discovery.