Event WPR20CA138

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that after touchdown, the airplane veered slightly to the right. She overcorrected with the left rudder control and lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane veered to the left and exited the runway. The right wing struck the windsock pole, crossed a ditch, and ground looped before coming to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, engine mount, and the left forward side of the fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that, after touchdown, she applied too much right rudder and then overcorrected by applying too much left rudder. The airplane then veered left and exited the runway. The right wing struck a windsock pole, crossed a ditch, and ground looped before coming to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, engine mount, and the left forward side of the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident 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
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Pole-Effect on operation - C