Incident Overview
A flight instructor (CFI) and a student (Stu) were practicing approaches at the Marion, Iowa airport. Several witnesses reported that the touch-and-go landings were unusual and drew their attention.
Final Approach and Accident
On the last approach, the aircraft was observed to be slow during an unusually steep descent. When the aircraft was approximately 15 to 20 feet above ground level, it pitched nose-down until striking the runway. The impact caused the aircraft to break in half, with the nose and wings flipping inverted.
Witness Observations
Witnesses believed that the aircraft had stalled above the runway and crashed in a nose-low attitude.
Mechanical Inspection
No mechanical malfunction was noted during the on-scene inspection of the aircraft.