Incident Overview
A student pilot, returning to his home airport after a solo cross-country flight, encountered wind gusts during landing attempts. The pilot obtained the airport's automated weather advisory, which reported variable winds at 6 knots. After entering the traffic pattern, the pilot attempted to land but experienced difficulty with wind gusts and became uncomfortable during touchdown, leading to an aborted landing.
Second Landing Attempt
During a second landing approach, the pilot crabbed the airplane until just before touchdown. Immediately after touchdown, a gust of wind from the right blew the airplane to the left. The pilot reported losing control, and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. It then crossed a grassy area and a taxiway before striking a taxiway sign.
Damage and Weather
The collision caused the left main landing gear to collapse and substantially damaged the left horizontal stabilizer. Weather conditions reported approximately 40 minutes after the accident indicated a 20-degree right quartering headwind at 8 knots. The pilot stated that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.