Incident Overview
A student pilot on a cross-country training flight experienced a porpoising event during landing at the destination airport. The sequence began after the pilot initiated a descent approximately 5 miles from the airport to establish a traffic pattern attitude. According to the student pilot, the descent was late, resulting in the airplane's airspeed being higher than normal upon approach.
Landing and Porpoising
The airplane touched down, and the nose gear dropped onto the runway. This was followed by a propeller strike on the runway surface. The airplane then porpoised down the runway, incurring additional propeller strikes before coming to a stop on a taxiway.
Damage
During the accident sequence, the firewall buckled. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.