Cessna 150F N8126S accident near Harlingen, Texas

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.

NTSB analysis

According to the student pilot, he was practicing touch and go landings on his fifth solo flight. Two landings were completed on a runway with a direct headwind, but on the third landing air traffic control instructed him to land on an adjacent runway with a crosswind. The student pilot reported that he touched down with an appropriate crosswind technique, but during the landing roll the airplane began swerving to the left and he lost directional control. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed on the runway and the airplane came to rest upright on its nose and right wing. The reported winds at the airport about the time of the accident were from 110 degrees true at 16 knots, and the runway heading was 170 degrees.

The student pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and firewall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA15CA104 for the full record.