What happened
The pilot, a student with 35 hours of flight time, was cleared for a solo instructional flight destined for the Colusa County Airport. However, citing personal reasons, the student deviated from the planned route and landed at an uncharted, private gravel airstrip instead. During the landing roll out, the pilot failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft. The left main wheel rolled off the edge of the runway, causing the left wing tip to collide with a tree.
The investigation
The examination focused on the deviation from the cleared flight plan and the subsequent loss of control on an unprepared surface. The aircraft sustained damage to the left wing structure due to the impact with the tree after departing the paved or graded runway edge.