Amateur-built VANS RV 6 N164N accident near Garland, North Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing on the grass runway.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that during landing at his private grass runway, the airplane "skipped" during the initial landing touchdown. Subsequently, as the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot further reported that the grass was "soft."

The vertical stabilizer sustained substantial damage.

The pilot reported that the nose gear failed during the landing.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) who spoke with the pilot postaccident, the pilot reported to him that the airplane bounced during the landing touchdown and when the airplane settled back to the runway, the nose gear had been damaged and further sunk into the grass runway.

A photo provided by the FAA ASI showed an initial impact mark about 100 feet prior to the location where the airplane nosed over. It is likely that the nose gear was damaged during the initial touchdown.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA17CA028 for the full record.