Event Description
During a landing at a private grass airstrip, an aircraft sustained airframe damage. The pilot reported approaching the strip from the south, with the final approach flown at 65 miles per hour and a vertical descent rate between 200 and 300 feet per minute. On short final, the aircraft was configured at 60 miles per hour (approximately 10 miles per hour above stall speed) with 40 degrees of flaps extended.
Pilot's Account
According to the pilot, the grass airstrip was oriented along a 330-degree path, with a stand of trees on the southern end. The tallest tree in the stand was about 80 feet high. The wind was observed to be from 300 degrees at 8 knots, with gusts to 15 knots. As the aircraft passed the stand of trees, it dropped 10 to 12 feet and landed hard approximately 90 feet short of the pilot's intended touchdown point.
Post-Event Examination
After engine shutdown, the pilot noticed that the control column was jammed to the far aft position and locked against the rear of the instrument panel. A subsequent examination of the aircraft revealed that the firewall had been displaced aft by about 3 inches.