What happened
During a straight-in approach under visual meteorological conditions, the DC-10 was following an ILS path and remained stable at 500 feet. The initial contact with the runway was firm, causing the main landing gear to rebound. This bounce, combined with control column inputs and momentum, led to a rapid pitch-down motion and a heavy impact of the nose gear against the runway. During this phase, the wing spoilers may have failed to deploy due to the bounce or the position of the throttles.
Following the first impact, the aircraft pitched upward, but the control column remained in a forward position. As the airspeed dropped, the crew increased engine power. However, the aircraft's pitch reversed into a second downward motion. Despite a call from the crew to flare, rapid nose-up and nose-down inputs resulted in a second heavy nose gear strike, which caused the majority of the structural damage. The crew eventually stabilized the aircraft with a nose-up command and full power on all three engines, allowing for a successful go-around.
Findings
Investigation into the incident identified several contributing factors. A primary factor was the large forward control column movement that preceded the second nose gear impact. Additionally, a slight delay in the power increase from engine number 3 may have contributed to the pitch instability, potentially because the pilot did not advance the throttle simultaneously with the others.
Human factors also played a role. While the captain's schedule met all Federal Aviation regulations, he had recently completed a demanding 10-day trip involving multiple time zone changes and long duty periods. The captain reported difficulty sleeping and was experiencing physical discomfort due to a digestive illness. Furthermore, the captain's recent transition from the MD-11 to the DC-10 involved a training program spread over ten months, which may have hindered the full consolidation of his skills and experience.