Incident Overview
A certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing flight instruction to a private pilot training for a commercial pilot certificate. The aircraft was in the traffic pattern, abeam the runway, when the CFI reduced engine power and asked the private pilot to demonstrate a power-off, 180-degree accuracy landing. The CFI provided verbal coaching throughout the approach, reminding the pilot to monitor airspeed, which was noted to be 3 knots slow.
Sequence of Events
According to the CFI, when the airplane was approximately 100 feet above the ground, the private pilot increased the flaps from 10 to 25 degrees and pitched the nose up. Following this action, the airspeed degraded further. The airplane subsequently landed hard, resulting in damage to the wing spar.
Pilot Experience
The flight instructor had accumulated about 800 hours of total flight experience. The private pilot had accumulated about 190 hours of total flight experience.
Damage
Examination after the event revealed wing spar damage to the aircraft.