Vashon Aircraft RANGER R7 N150VR accident near Hampton, Georgia

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper flare while landing with a gusting crosswind which resulted in a hard landing and separation of the left landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was landing at the conclusion of his first solo cross-country flight with a 6 knot crosswind gusting to 14 knots. He aborted two attempts to land and was on his third landing attempt when he “flared too early and had a hard landing,” which resulted in the separation of the airplane’s left main landing gear. The student pilot subsequently landed on the two remaining landing gear, and the airplane departed the runway’s left side and came to rest upright with substantial damage to the fuselage, wing, and horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA158 for the full record.