Accident Overview
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at night. The accident occurred while a private pilot was on a night cross-country solo training flight.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that the landing was made on runway 18. The winds were reported as from 150 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots. She encountered light turbulence on final approach and noted that the airspeed was 80 knots, which is higher than normal. During the landing, the nose gear and propeller struck the runway prior to the main gear. The pilot stated this was due to an inadequate amount of flare. Subsequently, the airplane bounced twice before coming to a stop.
Flight Experience
The pilot reported a total flight time of 87.5 hours, of which 13 hours were as pilot-in-command.