Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a crosswind.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
During the landing roll, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and struck a runway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing strut and left horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane had been operated about 13 hours since its most recent 100-hour inspection, which was performed 3 days before the accident. The student pilot had accumulated about 45 hours of total flight experience, all in the make and model of the accident airplane, including about 38 hours during the 90 days that preceded the accident. A 6-knot crosswind existed at the time of the accident.
Source record
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing on runway 31, an 8,002-foot-long, 150-foot-wide, asphalt runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and struck a runway sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing strut and left horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane had been operated about 13 hours since its most recent 100 hour inspection, which was performed 3 days prior. The student pilot had accumulated about 45 hours of total flight experience, all in the make and model of the accident airplane, and included about 38 hours during the 90 days that preceded the accident. Winds reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, were from 40 degrees at 6 knots.