Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The student pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the student pilot, during his third solo flight, the airplane was stable on the final leg of the traffic pattern. He increased the pitch of the airplane and began to flare when the stall warning horn sounded. The student pilot then released the back pressure on the yoke to decrease pitch, the airplane impacted the runway, and the nose wheel "bounced heavily." After the airplane bounced heavily, the nosewheel buckled and the right rudder pedal jammed to the right. The airplane then veered off to the right side of the runway, coming to rest in a grass apron. During the accident sequence, the airplane incurred substantial damage to the firewall. During a subsequent examination of the wreckage, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found no preexisting anomalies of the airplane, nor did the student pilot report any.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA11CA283