NTSB Factual Report

The student pilot stated that this was his fourth solo flight and he had accumulated about 2 hours of solo flying. He flew to a nearby airport for touch-and-go landing practice and was planning a standard rectangular pattern. As he approached the airfield, an air traffic control tower operator instructed him to land straight in. This was the student pilot’s first attempt at a straight-in landing and he had difficulty stabilizing the airplane’s flight path before touchdown. The airplane landed hard, bounced, and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane rolled into muddy terrain, bending the nose wheel landing gear mounting structure and the engine firewall.

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot's improper landing flare, inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, and loss of directional control.