Event Summary
During landing, the pilot did not pull the nose up, causing the airplane to land on the nose wheel. The airplane bounced, and the pilot again failed to raise the nose. The second landing on the nose wheel resulted in a blown tire. The pilot then had difficulty steering, and the airplane veered off the runway. The nose wheel entered soft dirt, and the airplane nosed over.
Investigation Details
Investigation determined that the 54-year-old pilot was wearing monovision contact lenses at the time of the incident. The lenses corrected for distant vision in the right eye and near vision in the left eye. The pilot's optometrist, who prescribed the correcting lenses prior to the accident, was not aware of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements concerning the use of contact lenses.
Post-Accident Actions
After the accident, the pilot flew with a flight instructor (CFI) to prepare for an FAA-directed evaluation. The CFI reported that while using monovision contact lenses, the pilot tended to flare too late during landings. Around the same time, the pilot visited his aviation medical examiner (AME) for an annual flight physical. The AME noted the use of monovision contact lenses and advised that they were not approved for flight, recommending the pilot discontinue their use for vision correction. After switching to bifocal glasses, the CFI observed a significant improvement in the pilot's landings.