Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain control during a landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was landing at the conclusion of a cross-country solo flight. He reported that he encountered windshear about 3 feet above Runway 27, which caused a loss of control and he touched down on the nosewheel. A certificated flight instructor, who witnessed the accident, stated that the airplane was "about 20-30 feet" and began an "abrupt descent." The airplane impacted the runway hard. The impact resulted in a serious injury to the student pilot and minor damage to the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 12 miles southwest of the accident location, about the time of the accident, were variable from 330 degrees to 060 degrees at 7 knots. Neither the student pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported any preexisting mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. The student pilot reported 87 hours of flight experience in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Source record
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing at the conclusion of a cross-country solo flight. The student pilot reported that he encountered windshear about 3 feet above runway 27, which caused a loss of control and touchdown on the nose wheel. A certificated flight instructor, who witnessed the accident, stated that the airplane was "about 20-30 feet" and began an "abrupt descent." The airplane impacted the runway hard. The impact resulted in a serious injury to the student pilot and minor damage to the airplane. The winds reported at an airport 12 miles southwest of the accident location, about the time of the accident, were variable from 330 degrees to 060 degrees at 7 knots. Neither the student pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. The student pilot reported 87 hours of flight experience in the same make and model as the accident airplane.