N555HTDaniels Alan L KITFOX SERIES 7

The pilot reported that, during landing, about 5 ft off of the ground, the left wing raised and the right wing impacted the ground. Subsequently, the airplane twisted to the right and landed sideways on the left main landing gear.

The pilot further reported in a telephone conversation that, during the landing, the airplane got slow, there was a breeze from the left, and the airplane did not respond after he applied correction for the lateral control.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the fuselage and the elevator.

The pilot recommended that he should have had more speed or performed a go around.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot reported that during final approach, he increased airspeed from 65 to 70 mph to compensate for light windshear. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced twice and he increased engine power slightly to allow the airplane to settle on the main landing gear. After it settled, the nosewheel collapsed substantially damaging the firewall. The airplane then came to rest upright on the runway. The pilot surmised that the second bounce must have separated the nosewheel. A witness to the accident, who was also a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, stated that the nosegear touched down first, followed by bounces with two or three more nosegear touchdowns, before the nosewheel collapsed and the airplane came to rest. The recorded wind at the airport about the time of the accident was a left crosswind at 8 knots.