The purpose of the flight was to complete a flight review for the commercial pilot in the left seat of the Commander 114 with the flight instructor in the right seat.
After takeoff, about 300 feet agl, the flight instructor reduced the throttle to idle to simulate an engine failure.
The flight instructor expected the pilot to make a gradual right turn to land mid-field on the intersecting runway at the airport in Coldwater, Michigan. The pilot did not respond as expected, so the flight instructor assumed control, made a right turn, and lowered the airplane’s nose.
About the same time the pilot thought they were too low and advanced the throttle full forward.
They felt the airplane shudder and experienced an aerodynamic stall before it hit the ground.
A post-impact fire under the engine cowling was extinguished by a passenger using the onboard fire extinguisher.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.
Examination of the propeller noted curling and chordwise scratches on the blades. Additionally, the engine monitor indicated the engine was turning at 2,625 rpm at the time of the accident, consistent with the engine producing high power.
Probable Cause: The flight instructor’s inadequate communication with the pilot under review about his intention to simulate a single-engine failure and his subsequent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack when the pilot did not respond as expected, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude.
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This February 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.
“The flight instructor expected the pilot to make a gradual right turn to land mid-field on the intersecting runway”.
That’s a pretty ‘advanced’ assumption.
That it involved a 70-year old pilot & 72-year old CFI isn’t helping the insurance cost campaign either.
This is stupid stuff. My plane my rules. This is equivalent to practicing approach to landing stalls while actually landing.
Good comment Mac
Many of these “Reader’s Digest” columns don’t make sense. I’ve found the full reports for a few and it doesn’t read like the same accident.
Yes – the pilot report indicated that the stall occurred when “the instructor raised the nose for a main gear landing” – a key point not included above.
Nothing in the article makes any mention of a pre-brief on what would be covered and what expected performance would be. The article also infers that this happened on the initial takeoff rather than during a touch-n-go and after some air work had been done.
The more I read this type of article, the faith I have that humanity will not devolve to the stage where we’re all in the cave trying to make fire again with sticks and rocks.
Why did that flight instructor just push the throttle back in ,problem solved.