Incident Overview
A flight instructor, accompanied by two student pilots, was conducting a night visual flight rules instructional flight. During the approach to the destination airport, the instructor attempted to activate the pilot-controlled lighting but believed it was inoperative. He observed the windsock on the airfield but did not notice an 'X' near the runway numbers.
Touch-and-Go and Impact
The instructor executed a touch-and-go landing. During rotation, he heard a red cone strike the nose gear section. Following the impact, the airplane exhibited a continuous nose-up pitch tendency despite the trim being set to the full down position. The instructor applied continuous forward pressure on the yoke to maintain control. He described the flight characteristics as 'acceptable' and proceeded to fly approximately 47 nautical miles to the home airport.
Arrival and Landing
Upon arrival, the instructor informed air traffic control of a stabilator malfunction. He landed the airplane with zero flaps. Post-landing inspection revealed substantial damage to the stabilator.
Contributing Factors
The instructor stated that he had not checked Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) prior to the flight. According to Federal Aviation Administration NOTAM 03/058, the runways at the destination airport were closed at the time of the incident. The instructor reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Conclusion
The accident was attributed to the instructor's failure to verify runway status via NOTAMs, resulting in a touch-and-go on a closed runway where an obstruction (red cone) was present.