Accident Overview
A routine instructional flight departed for training exercises. Radar track data showed the aircraft performing typical high-work maneuvers, including stalls, turns, and slow flight. Subsequently, the aircraft conducted left orbits around a grass airstrip designated solely for practicing emergency landing procedures.
Witness Reports and Radar Observations
Witnesses on the ground reported hearing the sound of the engine ceasing to produce power. They then observed the aircraft maneuvering in the vicinity of the airstrip. The last radar target placed the aircraft abeam the field, heading north, while still engaged in a counterclockwise turn.
Crash Site and Aircraft Configuration
The accident site was located 390 feet north of the approach end of the airstrip, slightly offset across the extended centerline, consistent with an overshoot. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the flaps were fully retracted. Analysis of crash dynamics indicated that the aircraft had entered a low-energy left stall and spin, resulting in impact with the ground.
Student Experience
The student pilot had flown only once in the preceding 117 days, and that flight had been with a different instructor at a different location.