19990626023299A

(.19) On June 26, 1999, at 1500 hours pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150K, N6171G, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the Hesperia airport, Hesperia, California. The rented aircraft was operated by learn to fly unlimited under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The personal flight originated from redlands municipal airport, redlands, California, at 1330. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. In a telephone interview, the pilot stated he experienced a hard landing due to a slight loss of altitude during the landing phase. He further stated the hard landing might have been a result of wind shear. After the pilot departed from redlands, he received the ASOS (automated surface observation system) report from san bernardino, California, which reported favorable winds. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing prior to landing at Hesperia, and he said he did not notice turbulence during the approach. He also reported the aircraft had no mechanical discrepancies. (-23)according to information provided by the a/c owner robert iliff, the pilot had not flown for several months and was flying for FAR 61.57 currency. He made several take-off and landings at redlands and big bear airports. At the hisperia airport, the winds were gusting to more than 20 knots. The pilot made a full flap approach to the runway. On short final, the pilot started to loose control of a/c. he bounced several times then contacted the runway with the prop and nose wheel, damaging the prop, engine, nose gear and firewall. The pilot did not get a detailed weather report for the hisperia area. The pilot will be reexamined under the provisions of 49USC44709. (.4)after receiving no response from the common traffic advisory frequency, the pilot proceeded on a 45-degree entry for right traffic to runway 3. Prior to turning downwind, he observed the windsock at the east end of the field indicating the wind was almost directly down runway 21. He flew over the runway and turned left to enter left traffic for runway 21. He stated he was established on final at 60 miles per hour with 30 degrees flaps and a 500-foot per minute sink rate, but decided he was high and increased the flaps to 40 degrees. He felt the approach was normal and experienced turbulence, which he described as light to moderate chop, while crossing a road on the east perimeter of the airport. He thought the sink rate momentarily increased as he began to flare and observed his airspeed was 60 miles per hour. As he completed the flare, he flet the sink rate stop as expected. He stated the airplane was 10 to 15 feet above the runway when it quit flying, dropped straight down, and bounced hard on the main landing gear. Before he could respond by adding power, the nose gear hit the ground and collapsed. The airplane skidded 30 to 35 feet before coming to a rest off the left side of the runway.