What happened
The incident occurred during a training flight involving a certified flight instructor (CFI) and a student pilot. The primary objective of the flight was for the CFI to demonstrate a power-off landing technique to the student. During the approach phase, specifically on short final approach to the runway, the aircraft descended below the necessary glide path.
With the CFI at the controls, the airplane approached a terrain feature located approximately 100 feet from the runway threshold. This feature was identified as a hill with a height of 10 feet. The aircraft did not maintain sufficient altitude to clear this obstacle. In an attempt to recover or adjust the descent profile, the CFI deployed the flaps. However, the aircraft had already lost too much airspeed and lacked the necessary power settings to regain altitude or maintain the required flight path.
Consequently, the airplane impacted the hill shortly before reaching the runway threshold. The sequence of events indicates a failure to manage energy state during the final approach segment, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) scenario during a training maneuver.
The investigation
Investigation into the mechanical aspects of the aircraft revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure or malfunction that would have prevented the successful completion of the maneuver. The focus remained on pilot technique and decision-making during the demonstration phase of the flight.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to the accident were the low altitude of the aircraft on final approach and the insufficient airspeed maintained by the pilot at the controls. The deployment of flaps without adequate power application further degraded performance, preventing the clearance of the terrain obstacle near the runway threshold.