On March 10, 1997, at 1330 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N6375D, veered off of runway 27L and struck a distance marker sign while practicing touch-and-go landings at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the solo local instructional flight, and no flight plan was filed. In his written statement the pilot reported that he, "unknowingly left the power in on landing. During the landing roll the plane became hard to control. . .after moving left and right across the runway I began over correcting trying to keep the aircraft on centerline instead of pulling the power as I should have." The airplane left the runway edge and hit a distance marker sign. The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 240 degrees at 7 knots. An FAA airworthiness inspector reported that no mechanical abnormalities were found during an examination of the aircraft.