Amateur-built RV-7A N811WJ accident near Weirsdale, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and subsequent nose over.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was landing the experimental amateur-built airplane on a turf runway, and had traveled about 1/3 the length of the runway when the airplane “lost energy” about 5 feet above ground level. The airplane then bounced as it crested a small hill before it landed “hard” on the nose landing gear. The nose landing gear subsequently dug into the soft, sandy soil and the airplane nosed over. The pilot was seriously injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts, empennage, and fuselage during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s flight controls revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA109 for the full record.