Discovery of Damage
During a routine ramp inspection, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors observed substantial damage to the airplane's firewall and the structure aft of the firewall. The airplane was parked on the operator's ramp at the time of the inspection.
Maintenance Records and Timeline
Airplane maintenance records included an entry attributing the damage to a suspected hard landing. According to the operator, the damage likely occurred between the airplane's 100-hour inspection performed on September 27, 2016, and an oil change performed on October 24, 2016. The operator's mechanic reported discovering the damage when the engine cowl was removed for the oil change. A review of airplane flight logs showed that approximately 20 different individuals had flown the airplane over 48 flights during that interval.
Reported Bounced Landing
On October 8, 2016, a student pilot was performing touch-and-go landings. During the flight's final landing, the airplane bounced two or three times. After turning off the runway onto the taxiway, the student pilot noted that the airplane was not steering properly and reported to the air traffic control tower that she had some mechanical difficulty requiring maintenance assistance.
Subsequent Maintenance Actions
The student pilot's flight instructor and a company lineman responded and observed that the airplane had a flat nose wheel tire. The lineman inflated the tire, after which the student pilot and flight instructor taxied the airplane to the operator's maintenance facility. The flight instructor informed the operator's mechanic about the bounced landing and flat tire. The mechanic stated that he replaced the nose tire and performed a brief exterior walk-around visual inspection, concluding the airplane appeared airworthy and returning it to service. No hard landing inspection was performed.
Additional Context
Other than the bounced landing reported on October 8, 2016, no other incidents or concerns were reported for the 48 separate flights conducted between the two inspections. The FAA ramp inspection later identified the structural damage described above.