This November 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Piper Pacer. Injuries: None. Location: Lamar, Colo. Aircraft damage: Substantial
What reportedly happened: The student pilot was on final approach but did not have the airplane aligned with the runway. He applied rudder to align the airplane but was unable to do so before a wing-tip hit the runway and he lost control of the Piper. It slid off the runway and into a ditch. The nose wheel collapsed when it hit a shallow ditch, and the airplane flipped on its back.
Probable cause: The failure to maintain directional control during landing.
For more information: NTSB.gov
Agree. Sounds like someone not ready for solo, or someone who may not be cut-out for flying. I knew an excellent instructor who had a student who took 30 hours to solo a Cessna 150! Then I also knew another student who didn’t seem to have the normal reflexes, mindset and co-ordination to fly an airplane. We declined to continue with his flight instruction after a few hours. The student went elsewhere to continue flying, soloed and two weeks later, he crashed on a mountain top. Anyway, it is my belief that there are those rare people who shouldn’t be flying…like the ones who cannot learn to drive a stick shift or confuse the brake and throttle pedals…like my step-daughter!
The proper heading for this incident should have been titled: “Poor Flight Instruction”!