What happened
The flight involved a student pilot with a total of 22 hours of experience who was practicing touch-and-go landings. During the sequence, the third landing attempt resulted in a hard touchdown. The aircraft made contact with the runway primarily on the nose wheel rather than the main gear first. This impact caused substantial damage to the nose wheel assembly, the firewall, and the windscreen.
The investigation
Examination of the accident site and aircraft revealed that the wind was blowing from a 90-degree right crosswind at 5 knots. The density altitude at the time was approximately 6,500 feet mean sea level. These conditions were noted during the review of the flight parameters.
Findings
The primary factor in this incident was the hard touchdown on the nose wheel. The pilot failed to maintain proper control and flare technique during the landing phase. The crosswind component and density altitude were within normal operational limits for the aircraft type but required standard crosswind correction techniques which were not effectively applied or resulted in a late flare.
Safety message
Pilots should ensure proper flare technique is maintained during touch-and-go landings to avoid nose gear damage. Crosswind components require active correction, and pilots must be vigilant about touchdown point and gear compression.