Airplane Sustains Firewall Damage After Hard Landing on Nose Gear

Incident Description

The pilot reported that during the landing rollout at approximately 70 knots indicated airspeed, the airplane began to buffet and was pushed to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot recovered and realigned the airplane with the nose on the centerline. As the pilot entered the flare, another wind gust was encountered, causing the airplane to balloon. The airplane then descended and pitched down, landing hard on the nose gear. The propeller struck the ground during the event. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane without further incident.

Weather Conditions

The meteorological aerodrome report (METAR) indicated that the wind was variable at 5 knots around the time of the accident.

Aircraft Information

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the firewall.