FTW04CA163

The student pilot was on his first solo and was performing touch-and-go's. On his third landing, as the main landing gear touched down on the runway, "the airplane tried to yaw to the right." The student pilot stated that he corrected the yaw and "dropped the nose of the airplane too fast. The force of the nose gear contacting the runway caused the airplane to bounce back into the air." The student pilot attempted to stop the bounce but the airplane continued to bounce and "no amount of correction would stop [the airplane] until the nose gear strut bent" and the airplane skidded off the side of the runway" to the right.

On June 16, 2004, approximately 1305 central daylight time, a Cessna 172 single-engine airplane, N2101M, was substantially damaged during a hard landing on runway 17 at the Collin County Regional Airport (TKI), near McKinney, Texas. The student pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Monarch Air, of McKinney, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The solo flight originated from TKI approximately 1245.

The 14-hour student pilot reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) that after completing a series of touch-and-go landings on runway 17 (7,001-feet long and 100-feet wide asphalt runway), with his instructor, they discussed the solo flight. On the first solo landing on runway 17, the student pilot executed a "go-around" because he was too high. The second landing was uneventful. On his third landing, as the main landing gear touched down on the runway, "the airplane tried to yaw to the right." The student pilot stated that he corrected the yaw, and "dropped the nose of the airplane too fast. The force of the nose gear contacting the runway caused the airplane to bounce back into the air." The student pilot attempted to stop the bounce, but "no amount of correction would stop [the airplane] until the nose gear strut bent" and the airplane skidded off the side of the runway" to the right.

The flight instructor reported to the NTSB IIC that after completing five touch-and-go landings, one go-around, and one full-stop landing, he had the student taxi back to a ramp area. The instructor briefed the student and felt confident that the student could safely accomplish his first solo flight. After making the appropriate endorsements in the student's logbook, the instructor told the student to "go around the traffic pattern three times and then taxi back to parking."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported that the nose gear was crushed upwards and aft into the engine, engine firewall, and floorboard of the airplane. Both propeller blades were bent. The control yoke was pulled back and bent downward approximately 20 degrees, and could not be moved.