Primary finding
Probable cause
Failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control during the landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve. Factors related to the accident were: the student's improper recovery from a bounced landing and proximity of the tree.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was on his first cross-country flight. As he was landing at an en route airport, the airplane bounced during touchdown. The student then lost directional control, and the airplane went off the runway and struck a tree.
Source record
Factual narrative
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