N178AFCessna 172R · 2003

The solo student pilot reported that during the first landing touchdown, the airplane porpoised, and she elected to abort the landing. She reported that during the second landing touchdown at a different airport, the airplane "started to bounce very hard." A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall and to the floor panels underneath the rudder pedals.

The student pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

The instructor and his pilot-rated student were conducting instrument work; reported weather included a vertical visibility of 200 feet and 1/4 mile visibility in fog. After the first instrument landing system approach with the student at the controls, the runway was not visually acquired at the decision height and a missed approach was performed. The instructor took the controls for the second approach and asked the student to monitor the radios and look for the runway environment. At 400 feet above ground level, the instructor saw the runway below him, but the airplane was "slightly high on the glideslope and a little fast..." He elected to attempt a landing, reducing the throttle to idle and adding full flaps. The airplane touched down long and the instructor was unable to stop the airplane on the remaining runway. The airplane collided with a snow bank, resulting in structural damage to the fuselage.