Event GAA16CA360

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that during the landing flare of his second solo, after the main landing gear touched down the "nose of the airplane swung" to the right. He further reported that he attempted to correct with left rudder, and that this is where "he lost control of the airplane". The airplane veered off the runway to the left, impacted an airport sign, and came to a stop at an intersecting taxi way. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot reported that during the landing flare of his second solo, after the main landing gear touched down the "nose of the airplane swung" to the right. He further reported that he attempted to correct with left rudder, and that this is where "he lost control of the airplane". The airplane veered off the runway to the left, impacted an airport sign, and came to a stop at an intersecting taxi way.   The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Sign/marker-Contributed to outcome