Aircraft Suffers Substantial Damage After Bounced Landing

Event Summary

A pilot completed a brief local flight and returned to the departure airport for landing. As the airplane touched down on the runway, it bounced. The pilot attempted to land again, but the nose dropped, causing the nose landing gear and propeller to strike the runway, resulting in a second bounce. After a third impact with the runway, the pilot regained control and taxied to the hangar without further incident.

Damage and Examination

A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane during the event.