Incident Overview
During a solo flight, a student pilot experienced a nose wheel failure while landing. According to the student's account, she had completed three takeoffs and landings with a flight instructor, who then deplaned. She continued practicing solo takeoffs and landings. On the fifth solo landing, after the nose wheel touched the runway, she heard a loud noise. The airplane then veered to the right and came to an abrupt stop.
Post-Landing Observations
After exiting the airplane, the student noticed that the nose tire was flat, the wheel rim was missing, and the propeller had contacted the runway. The student stated that this landing was neither the smoothest nor the hardest she had made. When asked about the sequence of gear touchdown, she believed that all three landing gear touched the runway simultaneously.
Examination of Wheel Fragments
Pieces of the wheel collected from the runway were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for examination. The laboratory's analysis determined that the fracture features on the examined pieces were consistent with overstress fractures. However, the recovered pieces did not constitute the entire wheel assembly.
Additional Information
No other details about the aircraft, injuries, or environmental conditions were provided in the report.