Incident Overview
A student pilot was returning from a practice area when the air traffic control tower cleared him into Class B airspace for landing on runway 4L. The controller then changed the clearance to runway 4R. The pilot was too close on downwind to make the approach and requested to proceed toward the ocean. The controller instructed him to turn final 'now' due to outbound traffic.
Pilot Actions
The student pilot interpreted the instruction as an urgent request to land immediately. At that time, he felt he was too high at 800 feet and his airspeed of 95 knots was faster than desired. He lowered 10 degrees of flaps, selected idle power, and aimed toward the runway. Knowing he would land long, he considered a go-around but did not want to interfere with departing traffic.
Landing Sequence
His airspeed remained fast, and he flared too early, resulting in a hard landing. The airplane began to porpoise. To prevent the propeller from striking the ground, he added power to stop descending too quickly. He stopped the airplane beside the runway, then taxied back onto the runway and to the ramp. The airplane was damaged during the hard landing.