Accident Overview
A solo student pilot was conducting a landing approach when she experienced a sudden loss of control. According to her report, she had been instructed by air traffic control to follow a heavy jet airplane in the traffic pattern. She located the heavy jet and confirmed with the tower that she was cleared to land as number two, with a caution for wake turbulence.
Flight Sequence
As she maintained a final approach to land "past the numbers" and prepared for the landing flare, the wings unexpectedly rolled to the right and the nose dropped. She attempted to correct the attitude, but the airplane landed hard, skidded off the runway, and nosed over.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, lift struts, and empennage.