Incident Overview
A student pilot was conducting a landing approach when the aircraft experienced a series of bounces upon touchdown. According to the pilot's account, after reducing engine power and applying back pressure to the control yoke, the main landing gear made contact with the runway. Continuing to apply back pressure after touchdown caused the airplane to become airborne again. The pilot then relaxed back pressure in an effort to flare again, but the airplane bounced into the air upon contacting the ground.
Sequence of Events
The pilot stated that additional attempts to perform the landing flare were made, but each attempted landing resulted in successive bounces. During the last bounce, the pilot added a small amount of power in an attempt to recover. The aircraft first impacted on its main landing gear, then "abruptly" impacted on the nose gear as well. Following this, the airplane leaned forward and remained on the ground while traveling at a speed of about 20 knots.
Damage Assessment
The incident resulted in damage to the propeller, nose gear, and firewall. The aircraft came to rest on the runway.
Mechanical Condition
According to the student pilot, there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident. The pilot did not report any discrepancies in aircraft performance beyond the landing difficulties described.