The student pilot was flying solo in the traffic pattern at the airport in Delaware, Ohio, and landed with the intention of performing a touch-and-go.
During the takeoff, the Flight Design CTSW “veered heavily to the left.” The student pilot attempted to correct the veer without success.
He elected to land in the grass. The airplane bounced twice, then nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and rudder.
The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain yaw control during takeoff, which resulted in an aborted takeoff and subsequent landing on grassy terrain, during which the airplane bounced and then nosed over.
This December 2019 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.
This is puzzling to me. He had already done a few take-offs with the instructor on board, and one solo before this landing. So why was he able to control the “yaw” on all of those, and not this one?
I know nothing about this accident aircraft. Could there have been a problem with the nose gear mechanically that caused this?