Incident Overview
During the final approach, the private pilot did not maintain a proper rate of descent, resulting in a hard landing. A witness stationed at the approach end of the runway observed the accident airplane arriving 'hot and fast, hit the nose first and bounced up, nosed over and impacted the nose again.' This sequence caused the nose landing gear to separate from the aircraft.
Pilot Statement
In contrast to the witness account, the pilot described his approach as 'perfect.' However, he noted that as the airplane neared the runway, its sink rate increased. The pilot stated that the airplane would not respond to his control inputs intended to stop the descent.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector subsequently confirmed flight control continuity, indicating that the control systems were intact and functional after the accident.