Incident Summary
A pilot reported that after landing, he taxied a tricycle landing gear-equipped airplane on a rocky, soft sand beach. During the taxi, the nose wheel bounced off a sand berm, causing the tail section to contact the ground. The pilot then parked the airplane and inspected the empennage, determining the damage to be minor. He subsequently departed on another flight.
Post-Flight Inspection
However, when the company's mechanic later inspected the empennage, they discovered that the aft fuselage bulkhead had sustained substantial damage. The pilot noted that prior to the taxi, there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane or any of its systems that would have prevented normal flight operations.
Conclusion
The incident highlights the importance of thorough post-incident inspections, as initial pilot assessment may not fully capture the extent of structural damage. The substantial damage to the aft fuselage bulkhead was only identified during a subsequent examination by a mechanic.