On October 14, 2000, about 1100 Eastern Daylight Time, a Cessna 172, N1297F, was substantially damaged while landing at the Dutchess County Airport, Poughkeepsie, New York. The student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight. No flight plan was filed and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the student's certified flight instructor, the student was conducting a local solo flight to improve his navigational skills. The instructor wanted the student to get comfortable navigating solo in the local area, before conducting a cross-country flight. The student boarded the airplane and departed. After working on his navigational skills in the local area, he maneuvered the airplane to land on Runway 24. During the landing, the airplane bounced twice. Each time the nose-wheel struck the ground first, and the airplane contacted the runway progressively harder. On the last touchdown, the left main wheel broke, the propeller struck the ground, and the firewall was damaged. The student then taxied the airplane to parking, and secured the engine before exiting. According to the student pilot, the airplane touched down "hard," and then bounced three or four times. He did not report any failures or malfunctions with either the airplane or any of its systems that could have contributed to the accident.