Event Description
During a takeoff roll, the aircraft became airborne but at an altitude of approximately 10 feet above the runway, it experienced a side-to-side yawing motion. The pilot, feeling that control of the aircraft was compromised, decided to abort the takeoff and landed the aircraft back onto the runway. Upon landing, the aircraft veered to the left, departing the runway surface. It crossed a grass median, a taxiway, and a ramp before coming to rest against a fence.
Pilot Report
The student pilot was operating the aircraft solo at the time; the flight instructor was not present. In a subsequent debriefing, the student could not recall any other aircraft in the vicinity that might have produced wake turbulence. The student described the motion as a yawing oscillation rather than a rolling motion.
Instructor Assessment
Based on the student's description, the flight instructor concluded that the pilot may have flown into a dust devil. The instructor noted that the reported yawing motion, as opposed to a rolling motion, was consistent with a dust devil encounter rather than wake turbulence.