Accident Sequence
A student pilot was engaged in practicing full-stop landings on runway 24. According to the student's account, on short final approach, the airplane encountered a wind gust during the landing flare. This wind gust caused the nose of the aircraft to yaw to the left. The pilot attempted to counter this yaw through control inputs, but the aircraft subsequently made a hard impact with the runway surface. This hard landing resulted in a bounce, and the aircraft moved toward the left side of the runway.
Rejected Landing Maneuver
In response to the bounced landing and drifting, the pilot executed a rejected landing by adding full power. However, during this maneuver, the left wing tip struck the ground. The aircraft then crashed and came to rest in the median area that lies between the runway and the taxiway.
Pilot's Report
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft. The pilot attributed the initiation of the event to the wind gust encountered in the flare.
Weather Conditions
A weather observation taken immediately after the accident by the air traffic control tower indicated wind direction from 250 degrees at a speed of 4 knots.