Accident Details
The accident occurred while a student pilot was practicing touch-and-goes on runway 4, which is 3,568 feet long and 75 feet wide with an asphalt surface. The flight was a solo instructional flight. The pilot reported that winds were variable and gusty, and conditions were described as "choppy" in the traffic pattern. The accident took place on what was planned to be the final landing of the day.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, the airplane was established on final approach at an airspeed of about 65 knots. She noted that the airplane was slightly low on the approach but did not feel the need to correct the glide path. Upon touchdown, the nose of the airplane suddenly turned to the left, and the airplane bounced. The pilot stated that she "gently lowered the nose, but the plane bounced again and again." Her attempts to regain control were unsuccessful, and the airplane eventually came to a stop in a grassy area to the left side of the runway. During the accident sequence, the nose landing gear collapsed.
Post-Accident Inspection
A post-accident inspection of the airplane revealed no anomalies consistent with a pre-impact failure or malfunction.
Weather Information
Archived weather information was not available for the accident airport. However, winds recorded at an airport approximately 10 miles north of the accident location were from 110 degrees at 9 knots.
Pilot Information
The student pilot reported a total flight time of 97.5 hours. She had accumulated 5.8 hours as pilot-in-command (PIC) and 2.3 hours as PIC in the same make and model of aircraft as the accident airplane.