No fatalities

21 Sep 2016: PIPER PA28R 180 — Indian Hills Community College — Ottumwa, IA

Ottumwa, IA, United States

On 21 Sep 2016, a PIPER PA28R 180 operated by Indian Hills Community College was involved in an aviation accident near Ottumwa, IA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack during a simulated engine failure and landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A flight instructor reported that during a training flight, the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and touched down hard on the runway after the instructor took the controls. The right wing sustained substantial damage.

Accident Overview

A flight instructor reported that a pilot receiving instruction was demonstrating a power-off 180 degree landing. The instructor stated that as the airplane entered a close-in base to final approach, the airspeed slowed and the stall warning light started to flicker. The instructor said to the pilot flying, "nose down, nose down," and waited for him to correct. The instructor then took the flight controls, but as he did so, the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and touched down hard on the runway.

Flight Details

During the landing roll, the flight instructor reported that he lost rudder authority but was able to use differential braking to maintain directional control and taxi off the runway. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Sequence of Events

The instructor was providing instruction for a power-off 180 degree landing. On the base-to-final turn, airspeed decreased, triggering the stall warning. Despite the instructor's prompt to lower the nose, the pilot flying did not immediately correct. When the instructor intervened, the airplane stalled and contacted the runway hard. After touchdown, rudder control was lost, but differential braking allowed the instructor to keep the airplane on the runway and clear it.

Contributing factors

Causes

Student/instructed pilotCapability exceeded

Other contributing factors

Instructor/check pilotAirspeed — Not attained/maintained