Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed and airplane control during an attempted go-around.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot reported that, while conducting his first solo landing of the day, he flared the airplane, and the main landing gear touched down smoothly then lifted off of the ground again because of excessive speed. About 15 feet above the ground, the student pilot elected to conduct a go-around and added full power. The airplane became unstable and yawed to the right, and the left wing started lowering toward the ground. Despite pilot control inputs, the left wingtip impacted the runway. The airplane landed hard and spun about 180 degrees before coming to rest. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The student pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Source record
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that while conducting his first solo landing of the day, he flared the airplane, and the main landing gear touched down smoothly then lifted off of the ground again because of excessive speed. About 15 feet above the ground, the pilot elected to conduct a go around, and he added full power. The airplane became unstable and yawed to the right and the left wing started lowering towards the ground. Despite pilot control inputs, the left wingtip impacted the runway. The airplane landed hard and spun approximately 180 degrees before coming to a rest. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.