N89847Cessna 172P · 1983

The solo student pilot reported that during the takeoff roll the airplane veered to the left. The student pilot further reported that he attempted to correct the veer, but was unsuccessful; subsequently the airplane exited the runway to the left and impacted tree(s), which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

According to the student pilot there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

According to the dispatching flight instructor, the student pilot was on his first solo cross country flight. According to the student pilot, wind at the single-runway destination airport was from 120 degrees at 6 knots, so he chose to land on runway 20. Abeam the intended point of landing, the student pilot reduced power, added 10 degrees of flaps, and obtained the desired descent airspeed. He maintained that airspeed on the base leg, and turning onto final, noted that the airplane was high. The student pilot then lowered the flaps completely while continuing to maintain the desired approach airspeed. Once over the runway, the airplane “ballooned,” then "dropped immediately" and impacted the runway in a nose-low attitude, with the stall warning horn sounding from “slightly before” the balloon until impact. The student pilot did not report any preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane, while a postflight examination of it revealed a collapsed nose landing gear and firewall damage.