Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors contributing to the accident included the sign and the ditch.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
This was the student pilot's first supervised solo. After making his second landing and during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the left. An attempt to correct back to the right was unsuccessful, which was followed by the airplane continuing to the left and impacting a runway sign. The airplane continued northwest-bound before impacting a drainage ditch approximately 250 feet from the edge of the runway. The aircraft subsequently turned eastbound and crossed the drainage ditch a second time, which resulted in the collapse of the right main landing gear. The airplane came to rest in an upright position with its tail section in the drainage ditch and its right wing tip laying on the ground. The airplane's right wing sustained substantial damage.
Source record
Factual narrative
This was the student pilot's first supervised solo. After making his second landing and during the landing roll, the airplane began to veer to the left. An attempt to correct back to the right was unsuccessful, which was followed by the airplane continuing to the left and impacting a runway sign. The airplane continued northwest-bound before impacting a drainage ditch approximately 250 feet from the edge of the runway. The aircraft subsequently turned eastbound and crossed the drainage ditch a second time, which resulted in the collapse of the right main landing gear. The airplane came to rest in an upright position with its tail section in the drainage ditch and its right wing tip laying on the ground. The airplane's right wing sustained substantial damage.