This May 2009 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Diamond DA-40. Injuries: None. Location: Montgomery, N.Y. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The instructor had just four hours as a CFI at the time of the accident. During the instructional flight, the student pilot made three touch-and-go landings to Runway 21. The surface winds at the airport were 200° at 12 knots. The CFI instructed the student to conduct a short field approach with an obstacle. The student conducted the before landing check, lowered the flaps to the first notch and turned on base. The student lowered flaps to the full down position, turned final, and continued the approach. The airplane descended to 25 feet over the runway when the airspeed decreased and the airplane entered a vertical rate of descent. The student pilot did not apply power. The CFI reached over to add power but missed the throttle. The airplane pancaked onto the runway.
Probable cause: The student’s failure to maintain control on landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s lack of experience as an instructor and delayed corrective action.
For more information: NTSB.Gov
