Event GAA19CA040

Factual narrative

The student pilot reported that, during a solo cross-country flight, while landing with a crosswind, the airplane bounced, and landed hard. During the hard landing, the propeller struck the ground, the airplane "tilted left, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane came to rest in the grass off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 240° at 8 knots. The airplane landed on runway 27R. The student pilot reported that, during a solo cross-country flight, while landing with a crosswind, the airplane bounced and landed hard. He added that the propeller struck the ground, the airplane "tilted” left, and the left wing then struck the ground. The airplane came to rest in the grass off the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport’s automated weather observation system reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 240° at 8 knots. The airplane landed on runway 27R, which resulted in a 4-knot crosswind. 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