Accident Overview
A certified flight instructor (CFI) and a private pilot, who are married, were conducting a training flight. Earlier that day, they had flown a previous flight practicing maneuvers at altitude. After refueling, they departed for another training session.
Sequence of Events
The private pilot performed two practice power-off landings from the downwind leg to runway 18. During a third practice forced landing, with the landing gear extended, the CFI assumed control of the aircraft. As the airplane turned to final, it developed a high sink rate. The CFI recognized the airplane was low and slow and advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond. Subsequently, the right wing struck a 25-foot-high pole at the edge of an open field, approximately 12 feet above the ground and 900 feet from the approach end of the runway.
The private pilot later stated that during the approach he felt they were getting 'too slow and too low,' and when full power was applied, the engine's response 'sounded strange.'
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact failure of the airframe or engine.