What happened
During a series of practice touch-and-go landings, an aircraft experienced a significant loss of control. Following a successful first touch-and-go by the pilot and a second successful maneuver by the copilot, the copilot attempted a third landing. While at an altitude of approximately 50 feet, the yaw damper was disengaged, which triggered a pilot-induced lateral oscillation.
This oscillation caused the aircraft to undergo rapid deceleration and a sharp increase in sink rate. During the descent, the right tip fuel tank made contact with the ground and became detached from the airframe. The aircraft subsequently bounced back into the air before making a heavy impact on the runway. The force of the landing caused the main landing gear to collapse, leading the aircraft to skid to a halt on the right side of the runway. All occupants, including the pilot, the copilot, and one passenger, were able to exit the aircraft via the main entry door without injury.
Findings
Investigations into the incident suggest that the disengagement of the yaw damper was the primary factor leading to the unstable flight conditions. The pilot-in-command noted that the specific handling characteristics of the aircraft while operating without the yaw damper had not been previously demonstrated, and the crew was unable to recover the aircraft's stability before the gear collapse occurred.