Accident Sequence
During an approach for landing, the private pilot flew the airplane low and fast. The approach was unstabilized. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the right with the right edge of the runway well under the right wing. The pilot applied left rudder while pulling the nose up. The stall warning buzzer activated, and the pilot abruptly lowered the nose, striking the runway with the nose wheel. The airplane bounced and veered off the runway.
After the initial hard landing in a nose-low attitude, the pilot was unsuccessful in recovery efforts and lost control as the airplane bounced again. The airplane swerved off the runway, overloading the landing gear until it collapsed.
Witness Account
A professional pilot who witnessed the accident airplane's final approach reported that the approach looked unusual and was not stabilized. The airplane appeared to dive toward the runway and was descending fast. The wings rocked, and the airplane yawed. It contacted the runway with its nose and right main wheels first. The airplane then bounced about 20 feet into the air and yawed right. It then yawed left and contacted the runway with its left main wheel and nose wheel. It bounced again and continued turning left. The airplane contacted the ground for the third and last time while in a left wing low attitude.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a ground school instructor and did not hold a certified flight instructor certificate. He was flying from the right seat. The airplane's owner, who also held a private pilot certificate, occupied the left seat. The owner indicated that the ground school instructor's handling of the airplane's controls from the right seat was problematic, and he almost lost control of the airplane during takeoff.