Event GAA17CA111

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that during his 9th landing of the day, the nose gear collapsed, and the left wing dipped down striking the runway. Subsequently, the airplane exited the runway to the right. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector who responded to the accident reported that the distance from the first point of impact to the final stopping point was approximately 320 ft. He further reported there were indications that the right aileron and wing tip contacted the runway first. There was also a sheared nose gear hub pin/bolt found 35 ft. from the initial point of impact. There were multiple impact points along the debris path, and the second point of impact was the left-wing tip, indicated by the blue and white paint markings from the wing tip on the runway. The third impact was the airplane's nose wheel assembly. The runway showed markings left by the tire on the surface for about 20 ft. The markings also indicated an extreme side load on the tire. The wheel/tire hub assembly was found at the end of the tire mark with one of the nose strut forks. Additionally, there were 7 gouges in the runway surface from the propeller striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the firewall. The student pilot reported there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The weather observation station at the accident airport, about the time of the accident, reported the wind at 220 degrees (true) at 14 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The student pilot landed runway 28L. The solo student pilot reported that, during his ninth landing of the day, the nose gear collapsed, and the left wing dipped down striking the runway. Subsequently, the airplane exited the runway to the right. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident reported that the distance from the first point of impact to the final stopping point was about 320 ft. He added there were indications that the right aileron and wing tip contacted the runway first. There was also a sheared nose gear hub pin/bolt found 35 ft from the initial point of impact. There were multiple impact points along the debris path, and the second point of impact was the left wing tip, indicated by the blue-and-white paint markings from the wing tip on the runway. The third impact was the airplane's nosewheel assembly. The runway showed markings left by the tire on the surface for about 20 ft. The markings also indicated an extreme side load on the tire. The wheel/tire hub assembly was found at the end of the tire mark with one of the nose strut forks. Additionally, there were seven gouges in the runway surface from the propeller striking the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the firewall. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The weather observation station at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was 220° at 14 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The student pilot landed on runway 28L. 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-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
• — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained