CEN12CA011

According to the student pilot, the airplane was high on final approach. He said that the airplane touched down on the main landing gear and that he added back pressure on the control yoke, but the airplane bounced and became airborne again. The airplane bounced several times before exiting the runway, sliding across the grass, traveling down a hill, and coming to rest next to a fence. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to both composite wings. The examination did not disclose any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

The student pilot had been endorsed for solo flight the day before the accident and had soloed on that day. On the day of the accident, he successfully made two touch-and-go landings. The accident occurred on the third landing. The student pilot said he was high at the start of the final approach. He crossed the runway threshold and flared some distance past the runway numbers. Touching down on the main gear, he added back pressure on the control yoke and the airplane became airborne again. The airplane's nose came up sharply and angled slightly to the left. The nose then came down and the airplane struck the runway hard, bounced up sharply, and angled to the right. The airplane continued bouncing and exited the runway. It slid across the grass, crossed a service road, and went down a hill coming to rest next to a fence that surrounded a reservoir. Both wings sustained extensive damage to the composite structure. No other anomalies were found.