On July 4, 1986, a Piper PA-38 (registration N91360) was involved in an aviation accident near Lincoln, CA. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A student pilot on his first solo flight experienced a porpoise on touchdown, leading to nose gear collapse and the aircraft coming to rest partially off the left side of the runway.
Event Details
The student pilot reported that this was his first solo flight. He had accumulated a total of 6.8 hours of flight time prior to this flight. He had flown earlier in the day with his flight instructor. After two landings with the flight instructor, the student pilot was endorsed for solo flight.
Sequence of Events
According to the student pilot, on the second solo traffic pattern, the aircraft bounced on touchdown and began to porpoise. The nose gear then collapsed. The aircraft came to rest partially off the left side of the runway.
Findings
The student pilot had completed two supervised landings before being endorsed for solo flight. The accident occurred during the second solo traffic pattern. The aircraft porpoised after touchdown, resulting in collapse of the nose gear. The aircraft ended up partially off the runway surface.