Incident Overview
A private pilot rented an airplane to practice flying from the right seat and invited a certificated flight instructor (CFI) as an acquaintance to accompany him on the personal flight. After initially practicing emergency landings at the departure airport, the pair moved to a rural area for additional emergency landing exercises.
The Maneuver and Strike
During the practice, the CFI demonstrated an engine-out approach to an open field. Both pilots reported that shortly after she applied power to initiate a climb-out, they heard and felt an impact with something striking the airplane. They determined the airplane remained controllable and returned to the departure airport, landing without incident.
Post-Flight Inspection and Findings
An inspection of the airplane found substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The damage pattern was most likely caused by a wire strike, though subsequent efforts to locate any wires in the area proved unsuccessful. There was a discrepancy in the reported minimum altitude during the approach: the CFI stated the airplane did not descend below 50 feet above ground level, while the private pilot recalled a minimum of 100 feet. Neither pilot could identify any object that might have been struck.