Incident Overview
During a flight training session, a flight instructor was demonstrating a landing to a student. The aircraft made contact with the runway with excessive force, described as "very hard". The airplane then bounced once before subsequently landing on the nose gear. In response, the flight instructor immediately shut down the engine.
Control System Issue
After the landing, the flight instructor discovered that the control yoke was jammed in the full aft position. This condition prevented normal elevator control movement.
Damage Assessment
The hard landing caused substantial damage to the forward firewall and the lower forward fuselage. This structural deformation jammed the elevator control mechanism, rendering it inoperable.
Occupant Status
The two occupants—the flight instructor and the student—were not injured during the incident. They promptly exited the airplane after it came to a stop.
Probable Cause
The hard landing caused substantial damage to the forward firewall and lower forward fuselage, jamming the elevator control mechanism.