What happened
The private certificated pilot was conducting a personal flight to land on his privately owned airstrip. The facility is oriented east-west and measures 1,300 feet in length by 100 feet in width. Upon approaching the western end of the runway for landing, the pilot noted that the surface conditions were soft. During the landing roll, the nose wheel sank into the compromised ground surface.
This subsidence caused the aircraft to pitch forward, resulting in the propeller striking the ground. The left wingtip also made contact with the surface as the aircraft settled. The incident resulted in significant damage to the airframe and propulsion components.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed specific areas of structural compromise. The propeller sustained damage from ground impact. Additionally, approximately 12 inches of the outboard section of the left wing was damaged. The left wing spar also incurred damage during the event. The primary contributing factor was identified as the soft condition of the western end of the grass airstrip, which led to the nose gear digging in.
Findings
The accident sequence was driven by the interaction between the aircraft's landing gear and the runway surface conditions. The soft ground at the landing zone caused the nose wheel to penetrate below the surface level. This mechanical engagement forced the propeller and left wingtip into contact with the earth, resulting in the observed damage. No injuries were reported to the pilot.