A STUDENT PLT ON HIS FIRST UNSUPERVISED SOLO HAS A NMAC THEN CONTINUES HIS APCH; HE TOUCHES DOWN IN A CRAB AND DEPARTS THE RWY. THE FAA RULED THIS AN INCIDENT IN SPITE OF THE EXTENSIVE EXTERIOR DAMAGE. NO INJURY.

Narrative

I HAD MY FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO ON NOV/SAT/95 AFTER 15 DUAL LNDGS. ON NOV/SUN/95 I HAD MY FIRST UNSUPERVISED SOLO IN WHICH I WAS GOING TO PRACTICE LNDGS AT MARYLAND AIRFIELD. MY INSTRUCTOR RECOMMENDED MARYLAND DUE TO RWY LENGTH; WIDTH AND TFC CONDITIONS. JUST PAST ABEAM THE LNDG THRESHOLD; AFTER BEGINNING THE LNDG DSCNT I NOTICED A WHITE LOW WING ACFT APCHING RAPIDLY FROM THE R. INITIALLY I DIDN'T THINK THE OTHER ACFT WAS LNDG; BUT WAS JUST FLYING THROUGH THE AREA. HE APCHED ON A VERY EXTENDED L BASE FROM A HIGH ALT. WHEN THE OTHER PLANE PASSED DIRECTLY AHEAD OF ME; WE WERE AT ABOUT THE SAME ALT AND APPROX 500 FT APART. ONCE THE OTHER ACFT PASSED I TURNED L BASE BEHIND IT. I REALIZED HE WAS GOING TO LAND WHEN HE TURNED FINAL. I CONTINUED MY BASE LEG THROUGH THE EXTENDED FINAL CTRLINE THEN TURNED TO THE L TO REALIGN WITH THE FINAL APCH PATH AND LOWERED FLAPS TO 20 DEGS ON SHORT FINAL. I SAW THE OTHER ACFT PREPARING TO TURN OFF THE RWY AND I LOWERED THE FLAPS TO 40 DEGS AND CONTINUED MY LNDG. THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE OTHER ACFT AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS MY FIRST UNSUPERVISED SOLO MADE ME NERVOUS AND UPSET MY CONCENTRATION THROUGHOUT THE LNDG CAUSING ME NOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CTL OF THE ACFT UPON LNDG. WHEN THE MAIN GEAR TOUCHED THE RWY; THE ACFT WAS POINTED SOMEWHAT TO THE L. MY L MAIN GEAR WENT INTO THE GRASS AND AS I BEGAN TO APPLY R RUDDER I REALIZED THAT IF I TURNED THE ACFT TO THE R; I WAS GOING TO HIT A RWY LIGHT. I DECIDED TO ALLOW THE PLANE TO CONTINUE OFF THE RWY TO THE L TO AVOID THE LIGHT. ONCE I WAS TOTALLY OFF THE RWY; EACH ATTEMPT TO SLOW OR TURN THE ACFT TO THE R CAUSED THE PLANE TO HOP AND SKIP SIDEWAYS TO THE L. THE GRASS WAS CLUMPY AND DID NOT ALLOW EFFECTIVE BRAKING. THE GND BEGAN TO SLOPE RAPIDLY DOWNWARD WHICH DREW THE ACFT SIDEWAYS INTO A WOODED BRIAR PATCH. THE ACFT CAME TO REST IN THE BRIAR PATCH WITH DAMAGE TO THE COWLING; NOSE GEAR; R WING ROOT AND WINDSCREEN; AND R MAIN GEAR FAIRING. I EXITED THE ACFT THROUGH THE PAX DOOR DUE TO BRIARS ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT.