LNDG ACCIDENT. WINGTIP DAMAGE.

Narrative

DUE TO THE OCCURRENCE OF AN INCIDENT ON JAN/FRI/95 WHICH RESULTED IN SOME DAMAGE TO THE R WINGTIP OF AN AIRPLANE WHICH I WAS FLYING; IT COULD BE CONSTRUED THAT I VIOLATED FAR 91.13 -- CARELESS OR RECKLESS OP; WHICH RESULTED IN THE INCIDENT. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT NO SUCH VIOLATION OF ANY FAR OCCURRED; BUT BECAUSE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AS IT DID; IT COULD BE INTERPRETED THAT A VIOLATION HAD BEEN COMMITTED. IT IS FOR THIS REASON I SUBMIT THIS RPT. I HAD BEEN GIVING FLT INSTRUCTION TO A PRIMARY STUDENT IN TOUCH-AND-GO LNDGS WITH XWINDS. SPECIFICALLY; I WAS INSTRUCTING THE STUDENT IN THE XWIND LNDG TECHNIQUE OF SIDE-SLIP DURING LNDG TO COUNTER THE EFFECTS OF SIDEWAYS DRIFT FROM THE XWIND. I FLEW THE AIRPLANE DOWN THE FINAL APCH LEG AT NORMAL APCH SPD AND CONFIGN. I ESTIMATED THE WINDS TO BE 30-45 DEGS FROM THE R SIDE OF THE RWY AT 10- 12 KTS. I DID NOT REGARD THIS XWIND CONDITION TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO NEED THE USE OF LNDG WITH PARTIAL FLAPS. ENTERING THE LNDG FLARE AT NORMAL HT OVER THE RWY CTRLINE I DEMONSTRATED TO MY STUDENT THE EFFECT OF INSUFFICIENT BANK INTO THE XWIND BY HOLDING THE WINGS LEVEL. THE ACFT BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE L. THEN I DEMONSTRATED HOW BANKING THE WINGS INTO THE XWIND AND USING OPPOSITE RUDDER TO PREVENT THE AIRPLANE FROM TURNING; WILL STOP THE AIRPLANE FROM DRIFTING TO THE L. THEN WITH A LITTLE MORE BANK ANGLE THE ACFT WOULD CORRECT BACK TOWARD THE CTR OF THE RWY. THESE I DEMONSTRATED WHILE GOING DOWN THE RWY IN GND EFFECT WITH PARTIAL PWR APPLIED. IT WAS WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE ACFT BACK TO THE CTR OF THE RWY THAT THE ACFT STALLED AT A HT OF 4-5 FT IN MY ESTIMATION ABOVE THE RWY; AND BECAUSE OF THE XCTLED CONDITION AND THE BANK ANGLE TO THE R; THE R WING DROPPED AT THE MOMENT OF THE STALL AND BOTH THE R WHEEL AND R WINGTIP CONTACTED THE RWY AT THE SAME TIME. DAMAGE RESULTED ONLY TO THE WINGTIP. THE STALL WARNING HORN SOUNDED JUST PRIOR TO THE STALL. WHEN IT DID SOUND I APPLIED MORE PWR AND LOWERED THE NOSE SLIGHTLY. WHEN THE STALL OCCURRED I INSTANTLY LOWERED THE NOSE; APPLIED MORE PWR AND TRIED TO LEVEL THE WINGS. BUT IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY IT ESSENTIALLY 'GOT AWAY FROM ME.' I KEPT THE ACFT UNDER DIRECTIONAL CTL; TAXIED OFF THE RWY AND INSPECTED THE ACFT. NO INJURIES RESULTED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DEMONSTRATING PROPER CTL TECHNIQUES USING NORMAL MANEUVERS AND PROCS. MY MANEUVERS AND CTLS WERE CORRECT AND PROPER AND DONE IN A SAFE MANNER; UNFORTUNATELY MY AIRSPD CTL FAILED. ALTHOUGH MY REACTIONS WERE CORRECT THE STALL OCCURRED SO CLOSE TO THE RWY MY REACTIONS WERE NOT QUICK ENOUGH TO PREVENT THE HARD LNDG. ALTHOUGH MY ACTIONS RESULTED IN A STALL A FEW FT ABOVE THE RWY WHICH CAUSED A HARD LNDG AND DAMAGE TO THE WINGTIP I WAS NOT IN ANY WAY OPERATING THE ACFT IN AN UNSAFE; CARELESS OR RECKLESS MANNER. THE 2 FACTORS MOST RESPONSIBLE WERE AIRSPD CTL AND USE OF FULL FLAPS WHERE PARTIAL FLAPS WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. STEPS TO PREVENT A FURTHER OCCURRENCE OF THIS ACCIDENT; ARE FURTHER TRAINING AND AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF AIRSPD CTL IN THE LNDG PHASE AND USE OF ONLY PARTIAL FLAPS DURING XWIND LNDGS.