Incident Description
A student pilot on his third supervised solo flight was landing when the nose wheel encountered a large pothole on the runway. According to the pilot, the instant the nose wheel rolled down, it struck the pothole, causing the nose landing gear to break. The pilot stated that he held the nose off the ground until the airplane slowed. Subsequently, the propeller struck the runway surface, the remainder of the nose gear broke off, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination revealed no preimpact anomalies with the airplane. No mechanical issues were identified that could have contributed to the event.
Runway Condition
The Airport Facility Directory noted that the runway had wide cracks and weeds.