Incident Overview
A non-current pilot undergoing a 14 CFR 61.56 flight review with a flight instructor was practicing a short field landing. According to airport data from the Internet site www.airnav.com, a 4-foot terrain rise is located 80 feet from the end of the runway. The pilots reported that this rise had a heavy growth of wheat about 3 to 4 feet tall at the time.
Sequence of Events
The trainee pilot stated that the wheat "was a solid dark green which gave no depth perception," creating what he described as an invisible wall on short final. While on short final, the aircraft contacted the wheat, causing a rapid deceleration and loss of altitude. The flight instructor noted that once he noticed the terrain rise, he was unable to get on the controls before the aircraft contacted the wheat.
After contacting the wheat, the airplane struck an approximately 2-foot-high bank along a dirt road roughly 40 feet from the end of the runway. As the aircraft crossed over this bank, all three wheels caught on the bank and sheared off. The aircraft then came down on the runway and slid down the runway for about 250 to 300 feet.
Runway Information
According to the U.S. Government Airport/Facility Directory, the runway has a yellow centerline marking only, and the markings are very faded. The runway does not have a displaced threshold or visual approach slope indicator (VASI). The U.S. Government Airport/Facility Directory lists obstructions for the runway as a powerline.