The airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the paved runway surface and then struck a ditch. The nose landing was torn from the airplane resulting in damage to the firewall and forward fuselage. The student pilot reported that the accident flight was his first solo flight without an instructor aboard. Immediately prior to the accident flight the student and his instructor had performed a flight which included landing practice. Subsequent to this flight, the instructor pilot endorsed the student pilots logbook authorizing the solo flight. The student pilot reported that he then took off and flew a traffic pattern approach to landing. After touchdown, the student pilot inadvertently added power to execute a touch and go rather than the full stop landing. Upon realizing that he was to execute a full stop landing, the student pilot reduced power and applied the brakes. He reported that the nose wheel began to shimmy and he applied the brakes harder. The airplane subsequently went off the side of the runway into the grass and then struck a ditch before coming to a stop.
June 9, 2008, Athens, Ohio, Cessna 172P
The airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the paved runway surface and then struck a ditch. The nose landing was torn from the airplane resulting in damage to the firewall and forward fuselage. The student pilot reported that the accident flight was his first solo flight without an instructor aboard. Immediately prior to the accident flight the student and his instructor had performed a flight which included landing practice.
Key Takeaways:
- A student pilot substantially damaged an airplane on his first solo flight by departing the paved runway and striking a ditch.
- The accident occurred after touchdown when the student inadvertently added power for a touch-and-go instead of a full stop, then applied hard braking.
- This hard braking led to the nose wheel shimmying, causing the airplane to veer off the runway into the grass and a ditch.
- The airplane sustained substantial damage, including the nose landing gear being torn off and damage to the firewall and forward fuselage.
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