Flight Details
The flight was the student pilot's first supervised solo flight. According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), the student had consistently demonstrated the ability to fly closed traffic on previous flights. The student flew the pattern once without any control inputs or corrections from the CFI, after which the CFI and the student's son exited the airplane.
Approach and Landing Sequence
The takeoff, crosswind, and downwind legs appeared normal and well controlled. The approach seemed normal with a nose attitude appropriate for landing. The student turned final with flaps set to 30 degrees and an airspeed of 85 knots. Feeling that he was a little high, he selected flaps to 40 degrees and adjusted power and attitude to maintain airspeed. He considered the approach stabilized, then shifted his gaze forward and reduced power as he passed over the runway.
He thought he leveled a little high and landed flat. The airplane bounced hard enough to dislodge his glasses. He raised the nose, bounced again, and landed nose down on the runway. The student then turned the fuel selector valve off, switched the master switch off, and exited the airplane unassisted without injury.
CFI Observation
The CFI observed that the flare appeared a little high; the airplane touched down main wheels first with the nose slightly up, then the nose wheel quickly followed, and the airplane bounced 2 to 3 feet. It touched down again in a flat or slightly nose-down attitude, simultaneously encountered a gust of wind, and bounced again. On the third and final touchdown, the airplane came down in approximately a 20-degree nose-low attitude. The propeller and spinner hit first, and the nose wheel and strut folded backwards under the cowling. The firewall buckled, and the airplane came to rest with the tail up and the engine stopped.