The private pilot had not flown in several years and was receiving instruction from a flight instructor. Radar data indicated that the pilots were performing ground reference maneuvers during the flight near Oxford, Iowa.
The data showed that the Piper PA-28 maintained an altitude of 3,400′ mean sea level, about 2,600′ above ground level, before it made a left turn and entered a rapid descent.
A witness reported that he heard the engine popping and backfiring, and it appeared as if the airplane wasn’t moving forward. According to the witness, the nose of the airplane then dropped, and the airplane entered a spiral and completed eight or nine rotations, before it entered a straight nose-down dive that continued to impact. Both on board died in the crash.
A post-accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction.
It is likely that the private pilot was practicing a stall from which he did not recover before the airplane entered a spin. In addition, had the instructor been appropriately monitoring the private pilot’s actions he would have been able to provide remedial action to recover from the stall/spin.
Probable cause: The failure of the pilot receiving instruction to recover from the practice stall before the airplane entered a spin and the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of the pilot receiving instruction and delayed remedial action to recover the airplane.
NTSB Identification: CEN17FA147
This April 2017 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.
I’ve conducted flight instruction in both 172s and PA28s. It’s a lot easier to stall a 172.
Sometimes students freeze on the controls during spin training. That happened to a buddy of mine, he told me later that he was pounding on his student and screaming at him to release the controls. They got some leaves in the gear when he finally recovered. He was white as a ghost when he told me about it afterwards.
I own both an early PA28-140 and a C172. While the PA28 is a far more stable airplane — you almost have to noticeably force it to change altitude or heading compared to the Cessna — it is a short coupled airplane. Early ones have a 30′ Hershey bar wing and a 10′ tail (vs 32′ and 12′ for later airplanes). Further, with no weight in the rear seat, the airplane tends to be nose heavy. I have often run out of rudder trying to land the Piper in a cross wind whereas I’ve landed my C172 in 40 kt breezes at Mojave, CA many times. So I could see where once established in a spiral/spin, it might be tough to recover the Piper. Still “eight or nine” turns … was the CFI asleep?
You have to make an effort to spin a Cherokee