Incident Sequence
According to the student pilot's certified flight instructor (CFI), the student was training under the United States Marine Corps Introductory Flight Screening Program, prior to attending the Naval Flight School at Pensacola, Florida. The student pilot reported to the CFI that he was making his third solo flight in the traffic pattern. During the landing attempt, the airplane bounced several times and landed hard on the nose wheel, causing the tire to burst. A chief CFI from another flight school on the field observed the incident and stated that the student porpoised several times, making no apparent attempt to recover.
Aftermath
The student pilot left the airport and returned to his barracks at Quantico. He met with the administrators of the Introductory Flight Screening program and advised them that he had been nervous during all flights and had decided flying was not for him. He subsequently dropped himself from the program.
Inspection Findings
Inspection of the airplane immediately after the incident revealed that the tire had burst, the nose gear wheel was broken, and the propeller had struck the runway. On October 2, 2007, further inspection of the airplane revealed damage to the airplane's firewall.