Zall Jihlavan Airplanes S R O JA-600 SKYLEADER N789RC accident near Reedley, California

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was conducting his first solo flight and had completed two successful takeoffs and landings. He reported that after a late flare, and during the rollout on the third landing, the airplane began to “skid left and right,” and he attempted to maintain directional control. While reaching for the flap handle, he inadvertently “bumped” the throttle control, increasing engine power. He reduced the engine power to idle and retracted the wing flaps. The airplane veered left and exited the left side of the runway, struck a runway sign, and came to rest in the grass infield. During the runway excursion, the nose landing gear collapsed.

Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed punctures to the lower fuselage consistent with impact with the runway sign. The nose landing gear exhibited deformation and fracture of the landing gear assembly near the bottom of the steering tube. Examination by the NTSB materials laboratory revealed that the deformation and fracture were consistent with bending overload.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR25LA060 for the full record.