What happened
The rated pilot and certified flight instructor were conducting practice agricultural dives and turns. During one such maneuver, the pilot initiated a pull-out from the dive at an altitude of approximately five feet above the ground. At this low altitude, the aircraft contacted sawgrass and subsequently crashed.
The investigation
Post-accident inquiries revealed conflicting statements regarding the cause of the incident. Initially, the instructor pilot asserted that an engine failure had occurred. However, during subsequent questioning, the instructor revised his account, stating that the student failed to add sufficient power, causing the aircraft to descend into a swamp.
Findings
The primary factor in the accident was the contact with ground vegetation at an altitude too low for recovery. The discrepancy in initial reports highlights the complexity of determining mechanical failure versus pilot error in real-time training scenarios.