What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During landing at Waterloo, Indiana airport (4C2) civil aircraft N263VX, a Cessna 162, experienced a nose gear collapse and propeller strike. The aircraft touched down on the grass runwayand and bounced back in the air. A subsequaint touchdown was made on soft grass and the nose gear collapsed. The nose gear swung back under the belly and the propellor hit the grass runway.
Performed on scene damage assessment at the owners hangar. The owner had the airplane forward lower fuselauge sitting on a plastic bucket to support the broken nose landing gear. He removed the cowling for me so I could get a closer look at the firewall. Before taking off the cowling, I noticed the crank on the engine was bent in reference to the cowling. The engine showed stress due to impact with the ground. There were many baffles and supports on the engine that were cracked. In addition to what the pilot reported concerning the bent propeller and sheared off nose gear, the airframe has buckling on the lower portion of the firewall where both of the engine mounts attach, brackets near the pilots rudder pedals that attach to the firewall were sheared off from the firewall, the main stringers (longerons) that run lengthwise under the pilots and copilots flooring were buckled, and had extensive damage to the lower belly running all the way back to the rear of the wings. Appears the fuselog may have been bent due to the damaged longerons which extend from the firewall and entire lenght of the flooring.
As the FAA filed it
DURING LANDING AT WATERLOO, INDIANA AIRPORT (4C2) CIVIL AIRCRAFT N263VX, A CESSNA 162, EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AND PROPELLER STRIKE. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE GRASS RUNWAYAND AND BOUNCED BACK IN THE AIR. A SUBSEQUAINT TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE ON SOFT GRASS AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE NOSE GEAR SWUNG BACK UNDER THE BELLY AND THE PROPELLOR HIT THE GRASS RUNWAY.
PERFORMED ON SCENE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AT THE OWNERS HANGAR. THE OWNER HAD THE AIRPLANE FORWARD LOWER FUSELAUGE SITTING ON A PLASTIC BUCKET TO SUPPORT THE BROKEN NOSE LANDING GEAR. HE REMOVED THE COWLING FOR ME SO I COULD GET A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FIREWALL. BEFORE TAKING OFF THE COWLING, I NOTICED THE CRANK ON THE ENGINE WAS BENT IN REFERENCE TO THE COWLING. THE ENGINE SHOWED STRESS DUE TO IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. THERE WERE MANY BAFFLES AND SUPPORTS ON THE ENGINE THAT WERE CRACKED. IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE PILOT REPORTED CONCERNING THE BENT PROPELLER AND SHEARED OFF NOSE GEAR, THE AIRFRAME HAS BUCKLING ON THE LOWER PORTION OF THE FIREWALL WHERE BOTH OF THE ENGINE MOUNTS ATTACH, BRACKETS NEAR THE PILOTS RUDDER PEDALS THAT ATTACH TO THE FIREWALL WERE SHEARED OFF FROM THE FIREWALL, THE MAIN STRINGERS (LONGERONS) THAT RUN LENGTHWISE UNDER THE PILOTS AND COPILOTS FLOORING WERE BUCKLED, AND HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE LOWER BELLY RUNNING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE REAR OF THE WINGS. APPEARS THE FUSELOG MAY HAVE BEEN BENT DUE TO THE DAMAGED LONGERONS WHICH EXTEND FROM THE FIREWALL AND ENTIRE LENGHT OF THE FLOORING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.