Accident Description
The student pilot of a Cessna 172N departed and flew for approximately one hour before returning to the airport. Upon arrival, the pilot encountered stronger, gusting winds than at departure. Initially intending to perform touch-and-go landings, the pilot decided instead to terminate the flight with a single full-stop landing due to the wind conditions.
On the first approach, the pilot executed a go-around because of the gusts. For the second approach, the pilot used a reduced flap setting of 20 degrees. During the flare, a gust of wind caused the airplane to "balloon." The pilot attempted to recover by adding power, but the airplane landed hard nose gear first, bounced, and then landed normally. The pilot completed the rollout and taxied to the terminal without further incident.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The airplane was a Cessna 172N. The pilot was a student pilot. No preimpact failures or malfunctions were reported by the pilot.
Damage and Weather
A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The weather observation at an airport 11 miles to the northeast, around the time of the accident, recorded winds from 250 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 16 knots.