No fatalities

13 Jan 2018: PIPER PA 28 140 — DUBOIS AVIATION INC — Corona, CA

Corona, CA, United States

On 13 Jan 2018, a PIPER PA 28 140 operated by DUBOIS AVIATION INC was involved in an aviation accident near Corona, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot and flight instructor’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during a simulated emergency landing, which resulted in a wire strike during a go-around. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a simulated engine failure training exercise, the aircraft struck powerlines after a go-around was initiated. The instructor landed in a field, resulting in nose landing gear separation and damage to engine mounts.

Incident Description

During an off-airport simulated engine failure maneuver involving a 180° turn, the flight instructor called for a go-around upon completion of the turn. The student pilot initiated the go-around, but during the maneuver, the airplane struck powerline wires. The flight instructor then landed the airplane in a field.

Damage

The nose landing gear separated from the airplane during the landing. Additionally, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mounts.

Pilot Recommendations

In the Safety Recommendation section of the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot stated that performing a ground reconnaissance of unfamiliar practice areas to assess for hazards to flight could have prevented the accident. The flight instructor also recommended that simulated engine failures be initiated at a higher altitude to enable a go-around at no less than 500 feet above ground level.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Student/instructed pilotEffect on operationInstructor/check pilot