Primary finding
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane during the landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot was on the second leg of his second solo cross-country flight. He reported that during the landing, he 'felt' the main landing gear touch down on the runway, and he let the nose gear down. The left wing and left main landing gear then came up. He applied full throttle and 'started to pull up.' the airplane became airborne, veered to the left, and struck a mound of dirt, then it continued into a cornfield and nosed over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On July 12, 1995, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Beech 77, N67212, nosed over during the landing roll at the Celina Airport (CQA), Celina, Ohio. The airplane was substantially damaged. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan had been filed. The solo training flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot had flown to Marion, Indiana and was on the second leg, of his second, solo cross country. After touching down on runway 26, the pilot stated that he felt the main landing gear touchdown on the runway, and he let the nose gear down. According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2: My left wing and gear then came up and I started to go to the edge of the runway. I gave it full throttle and started to pull up. I got airborne and then hit a dirt pile with my gear and went into a corn field and the plane flipped and came to rest upside down. The FAA Inspector stated that when the pilot applied full throttle and started to pull up that "this reaction probably caused the aircraft to veer left and run off the runway to the left." The reported winds at the time of the accident were, from 180 degrees, at 5 knots. There were no reported wind gusts. The pilot indicated on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 that he had a total of 21 flight hours, with 21 hours in this make and model airplane. -