Incident Overview
A private pilot, who had accumulated 51 hours of total flight time, executed a landing that resulted in a hard touchdown and subsequent collapse of the nose landing gear. According to the pilot, the approach was flared too high, causing the aircraft to bounce during the landing. After a bounce of approximately five to eight feet, the airplane contacted the runway nose gear first, leading to the collapse of that gear.
Damage and Injuries
The forward firewall sustained substantial damage as a result of the nose gear collapse. The pilot and the single passenger aboard the aircraft were not injured.
Pilot Experience
The pilot held a private pilot certificate and had only four hours of experience in this specific make and model of airplane. Of those four hours, only one hour consisted of instruction, which had been received four months prior to the accident flight. The pilot stated that he should have insisted on additional instruction in that particular make and model.