DEN02LA038

A witness reported seeing the airplane begin a flare at approximately 50 feet above the runway. The witness said the airplane was going slow. The airplane dropped and struck the runway. A post-accident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of pre-impact anomalies.

On March 14, 2002, at 1800 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T337D, N624BC, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a hard landing on runway 34 (6,606 feet by 100 feet, dry asphalt) at the St. George Municipal Airport, St. George, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The cross-country flight originated at Las Vegas, Nevada, at 1659, and was en route to St. George, Utah.

A witness to the accident reported that he watched the airplane begin a flare at approximately 50 feet above the runway. The witness said the airplane was going slow. The airplane dropped and struck the runway.

A post-accident examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration showed that the wheel boxes to the main landing gear and the support ribs were bent up and inward. Both blade tips to the aft propeller were curled. The front engine mount was bent. The bottom of the right vertical fin was scraped. The wing section between the fuselage and the right tail boom showed wrinkling. The cargo pod beneath the airplane's fuselage was crushed upward and splintered along both sides. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engines, engines controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.

Repeated attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) from the pilot were unsuccessful.