Incident Overview
A pilot reported an incident during a landing attempt at a private airstrip known as Bates Field, located in rolling farmland. The pilot was en route to a destination airport when he elected to fly to this airstrip. He lined up on a base leg for landing to the northwest on an upslope grass runway and turned onto final approach.
Landing Attempt and Bounce
With 40 degrees of flaps extended, the pilot identified the intended touchdown point and flared. However, he then climbed to attain the intended touchdown point. He landed, but described the touchdown as "too hard and bounced up." After the bounce, the aircraft touched down on the runway but drifted off into grass that was 6 to 8 inches high. The pilot added power to abort the landing, but the aircraft impacted a knoll at the top of a crest of a hill, after which it continued climbing.
Post-Event Assessment
Once safely airborne, the pilot assessed the airplane's condition. He noted that the pilot and co-pilot doors were ajar but did not observe any other damage. He flew over the private airstrip and did not see any damage, then elected to proceed to his destination airport, where he landed without further incident. While taxiing after landing, he noticed the left landing gear was out of position.
Inspection Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and found damage and distortion to structural tubing in the cockpit, as well as wrinkles in the fabric adjacent to the left main landing gear. The pilot stated that there was no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction that caused the hard landing.