What happened
The incident occurred during a dual instructional flight phase focused on landing operations. As the aircraft approached the runway threshold for touchdown, it experienced a significant bounce upon initial contact with the surface. This impact forced the nose into an excessively high attitude, creating a dangerous aerodynamic state that required immediate intervention.
The flight instructor recognized the developing situation and initiated recovery procedures to lower the nose and re-establish normal flight parameters. However, the instructor later reported that his reaction was too late to execute a standard, controlled recovery sequence. By the time corrective inputs were effective, the aircraft had already deviated from the paved surface.
During this uncontrolled drift, the horizontal stabilizer made contact with runway lighting fixtures located near the edge of the taxiway or runway shoulder. The collision resulted in damage to the empennage structure and the ground-based lighting equipment. No injuries were reported to the occupants during the event.
Findings
The primary factor contributing to the incident was the instructor's delayed response to the bounced landing condition. This timing error prevented a normal recovery, leading to the aircraft leaving the runway environment and striking fixed objects.