A review of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the Diamond DA40 departed the airport in Darlington, Indiana, and flew northwest about 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At the time of the accident, the flight was not in radio contact with air traffic control.
A witness heard the airplane, looked up, and saw it in a “nose down, left spin” before it disappeared behind a tree line. He added that it sounded like the propeller was at a high RPM before impact.
Ground scars and the orientation of the wreckage were consistent with an impact in a slight right-wing-low, nose-down attitude. The main wreckage was oriented on a heading of about 037°. The wreckage was highly fragmented with scattered debris that extended about 75 yards. Both the CFI and student pilot died in the crash.
A slight odor of fuel was present, along with fuel blight on vegetation along the debris path. Control continuity was established for all flight controls; separations were consistent with overload or impact damage.
A data card was removed from the flight display and the engine’s electronic engine control unit (EECU), which was damaged in the accident, was also secured for later examination. The EECU was shipped to the engine manufacturer for data download. The exam noted no preimpact abnormalities that would affect engine operation. The engine was running normally and appeared to respond to the power lever requests.
A review of the airplane’s Garmin G1000 data revealed several turns and engine power and altitude changes, consistent with airplane maneuvering. The data revealed that the airplane was about 4,000 feet msl when engine power was reduced. As the airspeed decreased, the airplane’s pitch attitude increased. The airplane’s pitch then decreased to a nose-down attitude, and the airplane made a right, spiraling turn consistent with a stall and spin entry.
The flight instructor was a graduate of the flight school’s training academy and had earned her flight certificate on March 30, 2021. She had about 329 total hours of flight experience and 44 hours as a flight instructor.
The student pilot had about 16 total hours of flight experience.
The airplane was not approved for spins.
Probable Cause: A loss of control while practicing an aerodynamic stall, which resulted in a spin and impact with terrain.
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This June 2021 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 remember entering my first spin in flight training, I froze for almost a full 2 seconds (which is a lifetime when staring at the spinning ground for the first time) Before I knew it, my instructor grabbed the stick and recovered. I was grateful at that moment but I then spent a lot of time upset with him for that, he made me afraid to “really stall.” Not letting me attempt to recover from that spin scared me that I might not be able to if I had to. Before my check ride, I had an honest moment with him and told him how I felt about that situation, we then went out and damn near spun the wings off that plane for an hour straight.
FFWD to my check ride, my check pilot tried very hard to get me to induce a spin on my full power stalls but I got so good on the pedals that I wouldn’t let it turn more than a quarter turn before recovering.
I can understand the student not being able to recover but a flight instructor with that amount of hours should have prevented this from ending the way it did. I almost wonder if she was fighting him for the stick trying to recover, have heard of those stories dealing with a freaked out student.
Actual spin training, including experiencing getting into and out of it, should be required to get a pilot license.
Early in my training I was practicing power on stall with my WW 2 instructor. I screwed up and entered a spin. Scared the crap out of me. He recovered, that was the end of that day’s training.
so, is it a really good idea to use an aircraft “ Not Approved for Spins “ as a primary trainer ?
A couple possibilities to consider: likely the instructor had minimal spin training, considering how much of her total time was in the same make/model which isn’t authorized for spins, and that she was unable to overcome a panicked student.
In the distant past, part of the CFI checkride required demonstrating a fully developed spin and recovering. The FAA Inspector I rode with required that it be recovered within 10° of the heading that he designated. An applicant had to have done many spins in training and practice to be able to do that. Now the requirement is only to show that the applicant has logged spin training time, if I recall correctly. Although the Diamond’s spin recovery technique isn’t unusual, minimal training means that muscle memory likely hasn’t developed.
If the student was at the controls when the spin began, it’s entirely possible that the instructor could not get the controls away from him if he panicked and froze. The entry into a spin for the uninitiated (one who has never been in a spin before) is a frightening experience. With the ground apparently spinning around and coming up quickly, it’s not unusual for a student to freeze. I had it happen with a student. When I described that on an aviation forum several years ago, several other instructors chimed in with similar experiences. None of us were trained how to get the student to let go of the controls. Each of us had used different, some quite violent, methods to be able to take over the controls.
In any event, it’s a sad situation that cost two young people their lives.
One last possibility. 4000 MSL is about 3000 AGL if I understand the area where this crash happened in Indiana (I’m also in Indiana). They may not have had sufficient altitude to break the stall and recover. The 6 place complex Pipers I’ve flown, if I remember the books correctly said it may take 3000′ or more to recover (they have the same restriction on spins as the DA40).
I wonder if the CFI with so few hours had ever done any spin training? More right rudder. You have to keep the ball centered.