Pilot Overcontrol Leads to Hard Landing After High-Speed Approach (N2536Q)

Incident Overview

During a visual flight rules (VFR) approach, the pilot elected to keep the aircraft's speed higher than normal because he had been sequenced ahead of other aircraft on long final approaches. He crossed the runway threshold at this elevated speed. Upon initiating the landing flare, the aircraft began to porpoise. In response, the pilot applied forward pressure on the control yoke in an attempt to push the aircraft onto the runway surface. This action caused the aircraft to descend at a rate that resulted in a hard impact with the runway, bending the engine firewall.

Investigation Findings

Investigation determined that the aircraft's engine and flight controls were functioning normally prior to the incident. The root cause was identified as the pilot over-controlling the pitch input, which led to the hard landing. No other mechanical or system anomalies were found.