Event GAA16CA064

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that during the second landing of his second solo flight, he flared too high above the runway. He reported that the airplane touched down, bounced twice, exited the runway to the left, bounced once in the grass and came to rest in the safety area between the runway and taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported that during the second landing of his second solo flight, he flared too high above the runway. He reported that the airplane touched down, bounced twice, exited the runway to the left, bounced once in the grass and came to rest in the safety area between the runway and taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C