What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Pilot reported upon landing at gcn on 04-28-2007, wind gust caused aircraft to be picked up and quickly dropped hard on runway. Aircraft bounced then nose pitched up, left wing dropped and yawed to the left. The aircraft then hit runway hard again causing the nose gear to shear, prop strike and wingtip hit ground causing damage to left wing spar. Pilot's statement: my wife and I departed klit at approximately 9:30 am CDT on Saturday April 28 on an IFR flight to ktcc. I arrived at ktcc at approximately 12:30 pm MDT. I fueled the plane and went into town for lunch. After lunch my wife and I returned and departed ktcc on an IFR flight to kgcn at approximately 2:30 pm MDT. I was approved for the GPS rwy 3 approach by the los angeles center and cleared to the iaf at or above 10,000 feet. Upon reaching the iaf I was handed over the kgcn tower and was then instructed to report the faf inbound. I began my descent to 8,200 ft and upon reporting the faf the tower cleared me to land. After being cleared by the tower at approximately 4:35 pm PDT, I began to slow the aircraft and descend for landing. Once I had two notches of flaps my speed decreased to 78KTS so I added additional power to increase my speed to 85KTS and pushed the nose down slightly so that I could safely make the threshold. I quickly glanced down the runway to look at its length and once I was over the threshold I began to slowly reduce power and trimmed up to allow the plane to continue to descend. As I felt the "round out" I reduced my power and began my flare. It was at that moment I was caught in a gust of wind that picked up the aircraft. Since the aircraft was already in a stall for the landing the wind gust caused the aircraft to be picked up and quickly dropped hard onto the runway. The drop against the runway caused the aircraft to bounce. As a result of that bounce the nose pitched up, left wing dropped, and yawed to the left. The bounce caused the aircraft's stall warning to come on. I realized I was too high to stall and in an effort to re-establieh flight I pushed the nose down. Upon the second hard landing the nosegear sheared and a prop strike occurred. In addition, the leading edge of the wingtip apparently struck the ground or some object. My wife's 35MM camera was in her lap during the approach phase but was thrown forward against the floor of the plane and then became wedged behind the right seat rudder pedals. The rudder pedals became inoperable.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) PILOT REPORTED UPON LANDING AT GCN ON 04-28-2007, WIND GUST CAUSED AIRCRAFT TO BE PICKED UP AND QUICKLY DROPPED HARD ON RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT BOUNCED THEN NOSE PITCHED UP, LEFT WING DROPPED AND YAWED TO THE LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN HIT RUNWAY HARD AGAIN CAUSING THE NOSE GEAR TO SHEAR, PROP STRIKE AND WINGTIP HIT GROUND CAUSING DAMAGE TO LEFT WING SPAR. PILOT'S STATEMENT: MY WIFE AND I DEPARTED KLIT AT APPROXIMATELY 9:30 AM CDT ON SATURDAY APRIL 28 ON AN IFR FLIGHT TO KTCC. I ARRIVED AT KTCC AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30 PM MDT. I FUELED THE PLANE AND WENT INTO TOWN FOR LUNCH. AFTER LUNCH MY WIFE AND I RETURNED AND DEPARTED KTCC ON AN IFR FLIGHT TO KGCN AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM MDT. I WAS APPROVED FOR THE GPS RWY 3 APPROACH BY THE LOS ANGELES CENTER AND CLEARED TO THE IAF AT OR ABOVE 10,000 FEET. UPON REACHING THE IAF I WAS HANDED OVER THE KGCN TOWER AND WAS THEN INSTRUCTED TO REPORT THE FAF INBOUND. I BEGAN MY DESCENT TO 8,200 FT AND UPON REPORTING THE FAF THE TOWER CLEARED ME TO LAND. AFTER BEING CLEARED BY THE TOWER AT APPROXIMATELY 4:35 PM PDT, I BEGAN TO SLOW THE AIRCRAFT AND DESCEND FOR LANDING. ONCE I HAD TWO NOTCHES OF FLAPS MY SPEED DECREASED TO 78KTS SO I ADDED ADDITIONAL POWER TO INCREASE MY SPEED TO 85KTS AND PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN SLIGHTLY SO THAT I COULD SAFELY MAKE THE THRESHOLD. I QUICKLY GLANCED DOWN THE RUNWAY TO LOOK AT ITS LENGTH AND ONCE I WAS OVER THE THRESHOLD I BEGAN TO SLOWLY REDUCE POWER AND TRIMMED UP TO ALLOW THE PLANE TO CONTINUE TO DESCEND. AS I FELT THE "ROUND OUT" I REDUCED MY POWER AND BEGAN MY FLARE. IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT I WAS CAUGHT IN A GUST OF WIND THAT PICKED UP THE AIRCRAFT. SINCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALREADY IN A STALL FOR THE LANDING THE WIND GUST CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE PICKED UP AND QUICKLY DROPPED HARD ONTO THE RUNWAY. THE DROP AGAINST THE RUNWAY CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BOUNCE. AS A RESULT OF THAT BOUNCE THE NOSE PITCHED UP, LEFT WING DROPPED, AND YAWED TO THE LEFT. THE BOUNCE CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT'S STALL WARNING TO COME ON. I REALIZED I WAS TOO HIGH TO STALL AND IN AN EFFORT TO RE-ESTABLIEH FLIGHT I PUSHED THE NOSE DOWN. UPON THE SECOND HARD LANDING THE NOSEGEAR SHEARED AND A PROP STRIKE OCCURRED. IN ADDITION, THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGTIP APPARENTLY STRUCK THE GROUND OR SOME OBJECT. MY WIFE'S 35MM CAMERA WAS IN HER LAP DURING THE APPROACH PHASE BUT WAS THROWN FORWARD AGAINST THE FLOOR OF THE PLANE AND THEN BECAME WEDGED BEHIND THE RIGHT SEAT RUDDER PEDALS. THE RUDDER PEDALS BECAME INOPERABLE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.