Flight Details
A flight instructor accompanied a student pilot on a flight from their home airport to another airport. At the destination, the student pilot completed four landings without the flight instructor touching the controls. After the fourth landing, the flight instructor exited the airplane to allow the student pilot to perform three solo takeoffs and landings.
Accident Sequence
The first two solo landings were uneventful. According to the student pilot, during the approach for the third landing, just before the flare, the airplane was "pushed" to the left side of the runway, "possibly by a wind gust." The airplane then landed hard. The flight instructor, observing from the ground, noted that the approach appeared slower than normal, followed by a hard landing. The main landing gear touched down first, then a "gallop on the nose wheel" occurred, and the airplane bounced twice before all landing gear were on the ground. At the time of the accident, recorded wind was 10 degrees from the right of runway heading at 6 knots.
Post-Accident Inspection
The flight instructor subsequently performed a partial inspection of the airplane and determined there was no damage. The instructor and student then flew the airplane back to their home airport. During a subsequent rental flight, at an en route stop, another pilot noticed propeller damage. Further inspection revealed firewall damage. Neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot reported any preexisting mechanical anomalies or damage to the airplane.