What happened
The pilot was conducting practice maneuvers involving a short field approach on a local turf landing strip. The runway in question was notably short, measuring only 900 feet in length. During the final phase of the approach, the pilot noted that the touchdown occurred slightly ahead of the planned spot.
Because the aircraft touched down early relative to the intended target, it continued forward and impacted the up-sloping terrain located just before the runway threshold. The impact forces caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch forward violently, resulting in a nose-over attitude. The aircraft came to rest approximately 18 feet beyond the point where the landing gear first made contact with the rising ground.
The investigation
Examination of the airframe revealed significant structural damage concentrated around the landing gear assembly. Upon impact with the hard, up-sloping surface, the left main landing gear failed structurally. The strut folded aft under the load, indicating that the gear could not withstand the vertical and forward forces generated by the premature touchdown on uneven terrain.
Findings
The primary factor in this incident was the pilot's decision to land short of the intended area on a very limited turf strip with an immediate up-sloping obstacle. The combination of the short runway length and the terrain gradient left little margin for error during the rollout phase.