Incident Details
A student pilot with 26 hours of flight experience was practicing takeoffs and landings during his second solo flight. During his fifth solo landing, the aircraft touched down slightly to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot reported feeling the main wheels touch down, followed by the nose wheel. At that moment, the airplane made a sharp left turn.
Pilot Actions
The student pilot, believing he still had some throttle applied, attempted to correct the turn by applying right rudder. He then felt the airplane tip to the left and, fearing that it might tip over, intentionally steered off the runway. After exiting the runway, the left main landing gear collided with an airport directional sign. The airplane subsequently came to a stop.
Post-Incident Procedures
The pilot performed proper shutdown procedures, contacted the air traffic control tower to report the incident, and exited the airplane. He was uninjured.
Pilot Remarks
When asked how the incident could have been prevented, the pilot stated that "proper use of the rudder pedals to maintain center line" would have been key.