Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 6; Flight Crew Total 1627; Flight Crew Type 400
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Maintenance Action
Human Factors; Weather
I was attempting a landing at ZZZ; Runway XX; at approximately XA:45 in a 1976 Cessna 172M with a 160 hp Lycoming engine. I was the sole occupant. It was a hot day and density altitude was about 4;950 ft. at the time. As I flared for touchdown over Runway XX; the wings lost their lift in the thin air and heat emanating from surface and the plane dropped 5+ feet causing it bounce even higher due to the spring steel landing gear. At first I tried to salvage the landing on the amount of runway I had left but after a successive bounce and drop it was clear that I was experiencing a severe oscillating (porpoising/bouncing) effect that would not end well for me or the airplane. Coming off that bounce I then applied full power for a go-around. On the subsequent landing I held the nose up as long as possible after the mains touched down. The nose wheel was indeed flat but I was able to taxi from the runway and exit the aircraft. There was no prop strike but apparently the bounce(s) left a wrinkle in the firewall. The airplane was subsequently flown; repositioned; by a pilot/mechanic to ZZZ1 and is awaiting repair at an airframe repair shop there. I was not hurt in this incident.
Pilot reported the high ambient temperature during landing degraded aircraft performance and caused a landing mishap requiring repairs.