Alton, IL, USA
N364MA
Cessna 172S
The student pilot reported that she was on her first solo flight and her first landing attempt when she flared "too early, bounced hard and ballooned." She said that she attempted to recover, but bounced a second time, and went off the left side of the runway as she aborted the landing. The airplane struck a runway sign, and sustained substantial damage.
The airplane impacted a runway sign during an attempted aborted landing. The student pilot reported that the accident flight was her first solo flight. The pilot stated that the intent of the flight was to perform touch and goes on runway 17 (6,500 feet by 100 feet, dry asphalt). The pilot reported that during her first landing attempt she began her flare "too early, bounced hard and ballooned." The pilot stated that she maintained "pitch attitude and added a little throttle" to recover from the bounced landing. The pilot reported that she bounced a second time and went off the left side of the runway. The pilot stated that "there was no salvaging the landing" and that the airplane was headed directly toward a runway sign. The right landing gear impacted the runway sign as the pilot attempted to abort the landing. The airplane came to rest in a grassy area off the left side of runway 17. The reported winds were 180 degrees magnetic at 10 knots with no gusts.
The student pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in the airplane impacting a runway sign. A factor in the accident was the student pilot's misjudged landing flare.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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