The solo student pilot reported that, during landing, he flared high, and the airplane landed hard. He added that the airplane "dipped", and he felt the nose wheel wobble. He then turned off the engine and "steered to the grass" off the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

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

The pilot reported that the wind was from 110° at 6 knots. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 23 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 100° at 9 knots. The airplane landed on runway 35R.