The solo student pilot reported that on final, following a cross-country flight, "It was really bumpy", the airplane was at a "pretty steep angle", and the stall warning horn was "really going crazy". He further reported that he tried to avoid a stall, and lowered the nose of the airplane, and the airplane touched down to the left of the runway unexpectedly. The airplane continued to the left of the runway and impacted a ditch.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

The student pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.