Flight Details
A student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight. After landing at the destination, the weather degraded. The student contacted his flight instructor, who advised him to wait for the weather to improve. About three hours later, the instructor called to check the conditions. The student reported that he checked the local weather reporting station but found the information missing. The instructor then told him to "get back and check the weather and I'll call you back." The student interpreted this as permission to take off.
Accident Sequence
During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered to the left and departed the runway before impacting a ditch. The flight school President reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Weather Conditions
A review of recorded data from a weather observation station located about 1.6 miles northeast of the airport indicated that, around the time of the accident, the wind was from 360 degrees true at 3 knots. The airplane departed from runway 36, which aligns with the wind direction.