Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s loss of directional control while landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot reported that during the landing rollout of his first solo landing, the airplane veered left, impacted a snowbank, and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.