During the instructional flight in the Piper PA24, the pilot performed maneuvers and procedures with the flight instructor to prepare the pilot for an instrument proficiency check.
After completing the instructional portion of the flight, the pilot flew the airplane back to its home base in Friendly, Maryland.
During the final approach to the runway, the airspeed decayed from the target speed of 85 mph to 80 mph, and the pilot lowered the nose to correct.
During the landing flare, the descent rate increased and the pilot added power to arrest the descent rate. The airplane bounced after touchdown and the pilot attempted to abort the landing.
The flight instructor “felt” the airplane settling towards the ground again and applied aft elevator to cushion what he thought would be a hard impact.
The pilot said, “you are fighting me” and the flight instructor released the controls.
The airplane then continued in a nose high pitch attitude off the left side of the runway and hit a parked airplane before eventually coming to a stop.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the outboard right wing, right aileron, and right wing spar.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during an aborted landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action.
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This October 2020 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.
