The student pilot reported that during final approach he positioned the airplane's wing flaps to the 40-degree position, and he crabbed the airplane into the left crosswind, which was from 220 degrees at 11 knots according to the airport's automatic terminal information service report. At 1253 (4 minutes before the accident), the airport's local wind direction was reported as variable, and its speed was 4 knots with 19-knot gusts.

The student pilot indicated that the airplane touched down on runway 25R for the full stop landing. As he was decelerating and attempting to turn off the runway, the airplane's nose turned left, and he lost directional control. The student also reported that he attempted to correct the airplane's track by applying aileron and rudder control inputs, but the airplane rolled off the left side of the runway subsequently colliding with several airport signs before the landing gear collapsed.

According to the student's certified flight instructor, the student was taxiing at too high a speed to negotiate the exit turn off the runway. The student should have slowed down before exiting the runway.