Accident Details
On February 16, 2014, about 1440 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-30, registration N931JS, experienced a loss of directional control during landing and collided with a snowbank at Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport (XLL), Allentown, Pennsylvania. The airplane was substantially damaged. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and commercial rated student were not injured. The airplane was registered to Hamilton Services Group, Inc., and operated by Gateway Aviation, Ltd., under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 5 minutes earlier from Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Flight Background
The CFI stated that the purpose of the flight was for the student to practice simulated single engine failures during various phases of flight. The flight departed from XLL about 1330 and flew to the practice area where the student performed airwork. The flight then proceeded to ABE, where the student successfully performed a simulated single engine full-stop landing. While taxiing for takeoff, the airplane encountered slush. The flight departed ABE returning to XLL, where the flight joined the upwind leg for runway 25. The CFI reported that the wind at the time was approximately 5 knots within 20 degrees of runway heading. A surface aviation observation from XLL about 5 minutes before the accident indicates the wind was from 290 degrees at 7 knots.
Landing and Loss of Control
The CFI simulated a failure of the right engine by bringing the right throttle to idle, prompting the student to correct for and secure the "failed" engine. The student performed the procedure correctly. Before turning onto crosswind, the CFI advanced the right throttle to 13 inches of manifold pressure (per the manufacturer's recommendation), and the flight continued in the traffic pattern for runway 25. The student applied necessary aileron and rudder corrections to account for the simulated right engine failure and turned onto final approach for runway 25. With flaps fully extended to the landing position, the student kept the airplane's longitudinal axis aligned with the centerline and maintained "blue line" indicated airspeed plus ten knots. As the flight approached the runway, the student flared a little high or early, resulting in a "solid touchdown" on the dry runway on the main landing gears. Although the CFI noted the touchdown was firmer than average, he did not take over the controls or initiate a go-around, as the landing was similar to others he had experienced in this aircraft. While guarding the rudder pedals, shortly after touchdown the aircraft pulled heavily to the left. The CFI attempted to correct with full right rudder and right brake application, but the airplane continued to veer left and collided with a snowbank off the left side of the runway at about 25 knots. The airplane was removed from the site for further examination.
Post-Accident Inspection
Postaccident inspection of the airplane by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the nose landing gear steering system or of the left main landing gear trunnion, which exhibited evidence of overload fracture. The inspector also observed skid marks on the runway from all three landing gear tires; the skid mark from the nose landing gear tire was very close to the skid mark made by the left main landing gear tire, consistent with the airplane yawing to the left.