What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The student pilot reported the following: she went on her first solo flight after practicing 3 full stop landings with her instructor. During her first solo landing, she applied the brakes while controlling the acft to keep it on the rwy center line. The acft then veered to the left and she attempted to compensate with right rudder. The acft went off the runway and stopped in the grass.
The pilot's CFI observed the mishap from the ground. He reported the following: he had decided to send the student on her for the first solo flt after she practiced 3 full stop landings in preparation for the solo flight. The wind was calm, the wind sock was showing few knots favoring the use of rwy 29 plus the acft in the traffic pattern were using rwy 29. The student took off normally, and flew the traffic pattern. On final, everything looked good, and she touched down on center line. During roll out, the acft yawed left and right until the acft went off the runway into the grass where the acft came to a stop.
Review of a video taken by one of the flt school's external security cameras revealed that the acft appeared to remain on the runway center line during the initial roll out. The acft then veered left off the rwy onto grass, and traveled about 400 feet roughly parallel to the rwy. The acft then abruptly turned sharply to the right about 90 to 100 degrees, before coming to a sudden stop at the edge of the rwy. As the acft stopped, the rt wing and rt main ldg gear lifted up momentarily and the lt wing tip impacted the ground.
The school dir of mx reported that he inspected the acft during and after recovery operations and found no evidence of any mechanical malfunction or failure in the acft brake system or flight controls.
Inspection of the acft by an FAA inspector after recovery of the acft from the scene revealed that acft damage was limited to the lt wingtip fairing, otbd wing rib and wing skin between the wing tip rib and adjacent rib inbd. An internal lateral stringer was bent in the upper leading edge area where the wing skin was wrinkled.
As the FAA filed it
THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: SHE WENT ON HER FIRST SOLO FLIGHT AFTER PRACTICING 3 FULL STOP LANDINGS WITH HER INSTRUCTOR. DURING HER FIRST SOLO LANDING, SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE CONTROLLING THE ACFT TO KEEP IT ON THE RWY CENTER LINE. THE ACFT THEN VEERED TO THE LEFT AND SHE ATTEMPTED TO COMPENSATE WITH RIGHT RUDDER. THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY AND STOPPED IN THE GRASS.
THE PILOT'S CFI OBSERVED THE MISHAP FROM THE GROUND. HE REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: HE HAD DECIDED TO SEND THE STUDENT ON HER FOR THE FIRST SOLO FLT AFTER SHE PRACTICED 3 FULL STOP LANDINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE SOLO FLIGHT. THE WIND WAS CALM, THE WIND SOCK WAS SHOWING FEW KNOTS FAVORING THE USE OF RWY 29 PLUS THE ACFT IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WERE USING RWY 29. THE STUDENT TOOK OFF NORMALLY, AND FLEW THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ON FINAL, EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD, AND SHE TOUCHED DOWN ON CENTER LINE. DURING ROLL OUT, THE ACFT YAWED LEFT AND RIGHT UNTIL THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS WHERE THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP.
REVIEW OF A VIDEO TAKEN BY ONE OF THE FLT SCHOOL'S EXTERNAL SECURITY CAMERAS REVEALED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO REMAIN ON THE RUNWAY CENTER LINE DURING THE INITIAL ROLL OUT. THE ACFT THEN VEERED LEFT OFF THE RWY ONTO GRASS, AND TRAVELED ABOUT 400 FEET ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE RWY. THE ACFT THEN ABRUPTLY TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT ABOUT 90 TO 100 DEGREES, BEFORE COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY. AS THE ACFT STOPPED, THE RT WING AND RT MAIN LDG GEAR LIFTED UP MOMENTARILY AND THE LT WING TIP IMPACTED THE GROUND.
THE SCHOOL DIR OF MX REPORTED THAT HE INSPECTED THE ACFT DURING AND AFTER RECOVERY OPERATIONS AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE IN THE ACFT BRAKE SYSTEM OR FLIGHT CONTROLS.
INSPECTION OF THE ACFT BY AN FAA INSPECTOR AFTER RECOVERY OF THE ACFT FROM THE SCENE REVEALED THAT ACFT DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE LT WINGTIP FAIRING, OTBD WING RIB AND WING SKIN BETWEEN THE WING TIP RIB AND ADJACENT RIB INBD. AN INTERNAL LATERAL STRINGER WAS BENT IN THE UPPER LEADING EDGE AREA WHERE THE WING SKIN WAS WRINKLED.
Other reports on N140ND · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.