General Aviation News often reprints excerpts from US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports including two accident reports involving Cessna aircraft that bounced upon landing – resulting in aircraft damage.
The first accident report excerpt covered an incident involving a Cessna 182 in Destin (Florida) which caused substantial aircraft damage. Apparently, recorded winds at the airport around the time of the accident were 190° at six knots and the pilot noted that the downwind and base leg of the approach to the runway were normal. According to the excerpt:
He aligned the airplane with the runway centerline at 75 knots, with “two notches” of flaps. He reduced power just before crossing the runway threshold, and flared for landing. The airplane sank. The pilot noted that he was above stall speed with no stall warning indication. The airplane subsequently came down on the centerline and bounced four times, with the stall warning horn sounding after the first bounce.
The probable cause of the accident was ruled the pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing.
The second accident report dated May 2010 also involved a Cessna 182 in Parkersburg (West Virginia) and the aircraft suffered substantial damage. Apparently the pilot was trying to land in gusty winds when the aircraft bounced several times and then the pilot initiated a go-around. The following landing was uneventful but while taxing to the parking ramp, the aircraft was difficult to steer because a further inspection revealed a flat nose-wheel tire and substantial damage to the lower firewall. Hence, the cause of the accident was ruled the pilot’s loss of aircraft control while attempting to land with a gusting wind.
In other words and especially when landing in gusty conditions, be careful not to bounce the aircraft as a bounce can cause substantial aircraft damage.