Event
A pilot landed a single-engine airplane on his private grass runway. During the initial touchdown, the airplane skipped. As it settled back to the runway, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane nosed over.
Pilot Report
The pilot described the grass as soft. He stated that the nose gear failed during the landing. In a postaccident conversation with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI), the pilot added that the airplane bounced during touchdown. When it settled back, the nose gear had been damaged and subsequently sank into the grass.
Inspection
An FAA ASI provided a photograph showing an initial impact mark approximately 100 feet before the location where the airplane nosed over. According to the source, it is likely that the nose gear was damaged during the initial touchdown.
Damage
The vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged.