This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
This was my first solo flight in the JMB VL3.
On the takeoff roll, the aircraft felt considerably different to me with less stability. I flew a lap in the pattern.
During the landing flare, the aircraft started drifting to the left. I applied right rudder to center the nose but still touched down well left of the center line.
I applied brakes and then they locked up. I felt the aircraft skid and lost control. It hit a sign off the runway and then came to a stop in the grass area of the runway, during which two of the landing gears failed.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2007967
The VL3 is a high performance aircraft with a max cruise of 200 mph, and only 1,200 to 1,500 gross weight.
So, I suspect that the absence of a cfi in the right seat, and now 180 lb or more lower weight, the aircraft performance will be more ‘exciting’ .
If he tried to land at the same airspeed that he used with the cfi, the aircraft would float longer.
He obviously used the wrong cross wind correction…a side slip would be more correct, keeping the aircraft aligned with the runway center line.
Left drift over the runway requires right aileron first. Any corrective rudder comes then or afterwards.
Obviously not ready for solo yet.
More like the plane wasn’t ready for flight.