Summary
A student pilot flying a solo cross-country flight from Reno to Susanville Municipal Airport and back experienced a landing incident when the left wing struck a metal Instrument Landing System (ILS) antenna. The student pilot had received an endorsement for the solo cross-country, which included a landing at Susanville and a return to Reno.
Flight Details
The student pilot reported encountering 10-knot winds from 150 degrees with slight gusts during the approach. In preparation for landing, he applied 10 degrees of flaps and maintained a left wing down attitude to compensate for the crosswind conditions.
Incident Description
During the final approach, the pilot unexpectedly encountered a stronger left-to-right crosswind that he could not counter, leading to a loss of runway alignment. As a result, the left wing of the aircraft struck a metal ILS antenna. The impact caused the wing strut to bend and pop rivets. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control due to the sudden increase in crosswind intensity.