Incident Description
During a landing in late afternoon, a pilot was landing to the west. As the airplane entered the flare, the pilot lost visual reference with the ground due to the sun's glare, which momentarily blinded him. The pilot initiated a go-around maneuver, but the airplane landed hard and subsequently porpoised three times.
Damage and Pilot Report
The hard landing and porpoising resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and nose section of the airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Environmental Conditions
According to data from the United States Naval Observatory, official sunset occurred at 1919. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that, about the time of the accident, the sun was approximately 275 degrees magnetic and about 2 degrees above the horizon.