Amateur-built JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA N926JB accident near Limestone, Tennessee

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was operating the experimental light-sport airplane from a private grass airstrip, and following a brief local flight, was returning for landing. The approach to the runway was “normal” and the prevailing wind was light and variable. During the landing flare, the airplane “settled hard” and bounced back into the air. The pilot responded by adding power and leveling the pitch attitude, but the airplane settled back onto the runway in a flat attitude. The nose landing gear collapsed on touchdown and the airplane then nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and wings. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13CA345 for the full record.