Incident Overview
A student pilot with 28 total flight hours experienced a hard landing and subsequent porpoise while conducting a touch-and-go landing on Runway 35. The pilot reported that during the approach, he had been instructed to follow a twin-engine airplane on final approach and maintained a final approach speed 10 knots higher than normal.
Sequence of Events
The airplane landed hard, bounced, and entered a porpoise, touching down several times. During one of the landing touchdowns, the airplane pivoted sufficiently to allow the propeller to contact the runway surface.
Pilot Recommendations
In the completed NTSB Form 6120, the student pilot recommended that to prevent further accidents, air traffic control (ATC) controllers should not place student pilots between faster aircraft in the traffic pattern, where student pilots may feel rushed. The pilot also recommended additional training in straight-in approaches.
Environmental Conditions
The winds at the time of the mishap were reported from 060 degrees at 3 knots.