Incident Overview
The pilot, on his third solo cross-country flight, performed a stop-and-go and a touch-and-go landing at another airport before returning to his home base. Upon arrival, he attempted to land on runway 12. The wind was reported from 180° at 6 knots with variable gusts.
Sequence of Events
During the landing, the airplane touched down and bounced. Subsequently, the right wing dropped, and the right main landing gear contacted the runway, followed by the nose landing gear. The airplane then turned hard to the left. Realizing that the airplane was too close to the runway edge to correct the turn and remain on the runway, the pilot applied maximum braking and raised the nose in an effort to slow the airplane down.
Despite these actions, the airplane continued off the runway and went down an 8- to 10-foot embankment at an angle. At the bottom of the embankment, the left wing struck the ground and separated from the fuselage. Additionally, the nose landing gear bent aft, which resulted in bending the engine mounts and buckling the firewall.
Mechanical Condition
Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.