Event WPR10CA146

Factual narrative

The student pilot was on his first solo cross-county fight, which had as its planned destination an airport that he had never been to prior to that flight. Upon arriving at the unfamiliar airport, he overflew the area in order to get a sight picture of the situation. He then flew a non-standard pattern to the final approach of the runway he chose to land on. Although his approach had not become stabilized by short final, he decided to continue the landing. When the airplane’s main gear contacted the runway, it bounced back into the air, and the pilot decided to execute a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot, who said the engine sounded like it went to full rpm, did not let the airplane stabilize and accelerate before repositioning the flaps, and he therefore found that the airplane would not maintain the climb that he tried to establish. As he attempted to continue the go-around, the airplane slowed and its left wing dropped, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane then descended into the soft terrain off the left side of the runway, and nosed over onto its back. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings, fuselage, and empennage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector monitored an engine inspection and test run, which did not reveal any anomalies or issues with the engine, which was able to be run to full power. The student pilot was on his first solo cross-county fight, which had as its planned destination an airport that he had never been to prior to that flight. Upon arriving at the unfamiliar airport, he overflew the area in order to get a sight picture of the situation. He then flew a non-standard pattern to the final approach of the runway he chose to land on. Although his approach had not become stabilized by short final, he decided to continue the landing. When the airplane’s main gear contacted the runway, it bounced back into the air, and the pilot decided to execute a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot, who said the engine sounded like it went to full rpm, did not let the airplane stabilize and accelerate before retracting the flaps, and he therefore found that the airplane would not maintain the climb that he tried to establish. As he attempted to continue the go-around, the airplane slowed and its left wing dropped, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane then descended into the soft terrain off the left side of the runway, and nosed over onto its back. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings, fuselage, and empennage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector monitored an engine inspection and test run, which did not reveal any anomalies or issues with the engine, which was able to be run to full power. 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-Climb rate-Capability exceeded - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Student pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of geographic area-Student pilot - F
• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Flight control system-TE flap position ind system-Incorrect use/operation - C