What happened
During the final approach phase of flight, a student pilot realized the aircraft was too high on the glide slope. In an attempt to correct the altitude, the pilot pitched the nose down but failed to reduce engine power. This resulted in an increase in airspeed. To manage the excess speed, the pilot performed a slip to slow the aircraft.
Although the aircraft eventually intercepted the VASI glide slope, it maintained excessive airspeed for the landing. The aircraft touched down in a flat attitude and ballooned off the runway. The pilot attempted to correct by pitching the nose down, which led to the aircraft touching down on the nose gear and bouncing. A second attempt to pitch the nose down resulted in another bounce on the nose gear. The aircraft eventually settled on the runway, after which the pilot applied braking and exited the runway to conclude the flight.
The investigation
A post-accident inspection of the aircraft was conducted. The examination revealed that the firewall had sustained substantial damage.