Incident Overview
A student pilot conducting touch-and-go pattern operations during her second supervised solo flight experienced a loss of directional control that resulted in the aircraft departing the runway and nosing over. The pilot reported that on the second touch and go, she touched down to the right of the runway centerline after a normal approach. She then applied full power, began retracting the flaps, and tapped the left rudder pedal to correct the airplane back toward the centerline.
Sequence of Events
After the left rudder input, the airplane suddenly swerved to the left. The pilot responded by pressing the right rudder pedal, but the airplane did not respond to the input. She then applied the brakes in an attempt to stop, but the aircraft continued to veer left off the runway. Subsequently, the airplane struck a lip on a taxiway and nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
Post-Accident Examination
An FAA inspector examined the airplane following the accident. The inspection revealed that the nose gear steering linkages and brakes appeared normal, with no pre-existing anomalies noted.