On August 30, 1995, a Cessna 152 (registration N68969) was involved in an aviation accident near Martinsburg, WV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the student pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing/aborted landing sequence. A related factor is the student pilot's lack of total flight experience. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During solo touch-and-go practice, a student pilot's airplane bounced twice, drifted left, then after initiating a go-around, left the runway and struck trees.
Incident Summary
A student pilot on a solo training flight was practicing touch-and-go landings at an airport. After the second landing, the airplane bounced twice and began to drift left of the runway centerline. The student pilot decided to perform a go-around and applied full power. Subsequently, the left drift increased, causing the airplane to depart the runway surface.
Sequence of Events
As the airplane bounced on the rough terrain adjacent to the runway, the pilot realized that the airplane was not airborne. He reduced the throttle to idle and applied heavy braking. The airplane then impacted trees located approximately 100 feet to the left of the runway.