N1273E

On April 28, 2007, at 1635 mountain standard time, the nose landing gear of a Cessna T206H, N1273E, sheared off following a bounced landing at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Juliet-Echo LLC was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight departed Tucumcari, New Mexico, about 1420, with a planned destination of Grand Canyon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 35 degrees 57.1 minutes north latitude and 112 degrees 8.8 minutes west longitude.

The pilot stated in a written report that, after being cleared to land, he slowed the airplane, and began final descent to land. As he passed over the landing threshold, he reduced the power, and began to flare. As he was in the flare and the airplane was in a stall for landing, a momentary gust of wind caused the airplane to settle to the runway harder than he anticipated.

The airplane bounced back into the air, the nose pitched up, and the left wing dropped. The pilot pushed forward on the yoke, and upon the second hard landing, the nose gear sheared off.

The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.