What happened
During a training flight, the aircraft experienced a hard landing resulting in structural damage to the undercarriage. The student pilot reported that upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice. On the second bounce, the aircraft struck the ground with significant force, causing the nose gear to break. An instructor who was observing the landing from the ground confirmed the sequence of events, noting that the airplane bounced twice before the nose gear collapsed.
The investigation
A thorough examination of the aircraft was conducted to determine the extent of the damage and identify any potential mechanical issues. Investigators inspected the airframe and all associated systems to rule out pre-existing defects or operational failures.
Findings
The investigation revealed that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions present in the airplane or any of its systems prior to the incident. The collapse of the nose gear was directly attributed to the forces generated during the bounced landing rather than a failure of the aircraft's components.