On September 29, 2006, a Beech B19 (registration N1949W) was involved in an aviation accident near Pontiac, MI. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to perform a go-around when he noticed the airplane was not on a stabilized final approach. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane porpoised during landing, causing the nose landing gear to collapse after two hard contacts with the runway, followed by impact with a taxiway sign.
Event Sequence
During landing, the airplane porpoised, leading to the collapse of the nose landing gear. The aircraft struck a taxiway sign before coming to a stop.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that during final approach, he noticed the airplane was "higher than normal and a little fast." To correct this, he "added full flaps slowing down to the right speed, but noticed a faster descent rate." He increased engine power to arrest the descent. During the landing flare, the airplane's nose "dropped and hit the runway first and ballooned the aircraft back into the air quite abruptly." The pilot then "immediately applied full power for a go around." He noted that "the aircraft turned slightly to the right because of a slight crosswind, and there was not enough altitude to nose down and raise the flaps at the same time." Subsequently, the airplane's nose "sharply dropped and hit the nose gear on the runway for a second time and broke off, hitting the prop and stopping the engine." The airplane then struck a taxiway sign before stopping. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had initiated a go-around after noticing the airplane was not on a stabilized final approach.