What happened
The pilot reported that he had previously completed two touch-and-go landings and one full-stop landing on the same runway without incident. During this specific landing attempt, his flight control inputs resulted in a flare that was higher than normal. This led to a hard touchdown where both the nose gear and the right main landing gear contacted the runway simultaneously. The impact force caused the nose gear to collapse. As a result of the subsequent runway strike, damage occurred to the right wingtip, the propeller spinner, and the propeller itself.
The investigation
The pilot provided a statement regarding the sequence of events leading up to the accident. He confirmed that prior landings on the same runway had been successful. The primary factor identified was the flight control input during the final phase of landing, which contributed to the excessive flare height and the resulting hard impact.
Findings
The aircraft sustained significant damage due to the hard landing. The simultaneous contact of the nose and right main gear placed excessive stress on the nose landing gear assembly, leading to its collapse. The subsequent ground contact affected the right wingtip and the propeller system.