N297ME

On August 6, 2005, about 1400 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N297ME, was substantially damaged while landing at Westchester County Airport (HPN), White Plains, New York. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, he was cleared for closed traffic on runway 16, and the initial takeoff roll and climb-out were "normal." The pilot then conducted a "touch and go," and the "base and final were normal, as was the landing and takeoff."

During a second approach, the tower reported that a Cessna 172 would depart prior to the pilot's receiving a landing clearance. The pilot applied 20 degrees of flaps, slowed the airplane to 75 knots, and extended his base leg. The pilot then saw the other airplane depart, and he turned onto the final approach.

Once on the final approach, the pilot noticed that he was "a bit higher than normal," but was not concerned due to the length of the runway (6,548 feet). The pilot was then cleared to land, applied 30 degrees flaps, and continued the approach.

Once over the runway threshold, the pilot "throttled back," and noticed that he had intercepted the glide slope, but was at an airspeed of 78 knots. He "held off" the landing to try to bleed off airspeed, but as the main landing gear touched the runway, the nose pitched "slightly up," and the airplane became airborne again.

The pilot "applied a little throttle and simultaneously tried to get out of the unusual nose high attitude. At this point the plane stopped flying and [he] landed hard on the runway, bounced, and landed again."

The pilot then taxied the airplane back toward the parking area, and while doing so, noticed that the trim indicator "was in a nose up position. I had not trimmed the aircraft to that attitude. Not sure if this was a result of the hard landing."

The pilot also reported a total of 222 hours of flight time, 76 hours in make and model, and 2 hours in the previous 90 days.

Weather, reported at the airport at 1356, included winds from 180 degrees true, at 8 knots.