ERA19TA166

During the student pilot’s first solo flight, the airplane veered left after touchdown on the runway. He attempted to correct with right rudder and left aileron; however, the airplane traveled into the grass off the left side of the runway and struck a ditch before coming to rest upright. The airplane sustained damage to the right horizontal stabilizer, engine mount, and firewall. The student reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

On April 30, 2019, about 1925 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N733UF, was substantially damaged while landing at Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN), New Bern, North Carolina. The student pilot incurred minor injuries. The local solo instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed EWN about 1920. The student pilot reported that during his first solo flight, the airplane veered left after touchdown on runway 22. He attempted to correct with right rudder and left aileron; however, the airplane travelled into the grass off the left side of the runway and struck a ditch, before coming to rest upright. The student pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the right horizontal stabilizer, engine mount, and firewall. The recorded weather at EWN, at 1925, included wind from 190° at 5 knots, visibility 10 miles and sky clear.