Incident Overview
During a practice flight involving instrument maneuvers, approaches, and landings at various airports, an aircraft entered the traffic pattern for a practice landing. According to the safety pilot, the aircraft was high and slow on final approach. At approximately 10 feet above ground level, the airplane "floated a little longer," prompting the pilot to initiate a go-around by applying full throttle.
Conflicting Control Inputs
During the attempted go-around, both occupants applied conflicting inputs to the control yokes. The pilot applied back pressure, while the safety pilot applied forward pressure. This disagreement led to an aerodynamic stall, causing the left wing to contact the terrain. The airplane came to rest upright adjacent to the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings.
Pilot Statements and Findings
Both pilots reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. However, their statements regarding the accident details and sequence of events were conflicting. Based on the statements and the damage pattern, it is likely that proper airspeed was not maintained, and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall during the go-around. Neither pilot reported that verbal communication was established during the landing sequence.