NASA

As a CFI, I should remain alert, aware of the situation and environment at all times and ready to take corrective action. I did not do that yesterday.

KEDJ has a very high amount of training activity conducting night landings in single and multi-engine aircraft. An inaccurate PAPI and runway lighting system is a safety of flight issue, in my view.

About 50 feet over the runway and prior to touchdown, my student states she “hit something and there was a loud thud on the right side of the plane.”

I was coming south toward the highway and the power line spraying corn. As I approached the highway and wires I realized that I could not make it up and over the wire without hitting it. I saw that there was sufficient room to go under the wire and avoid a wire strike and accident.

With landing assured, I began to ease the power back while rounding out into a flare. At about 5 feet AGL, the right control yoke came loose in my hand and the aircraft immediately pitched down toward the runway.

I write this in the hope that seaplanes no longer be allowed to take off under a traffic pattern of a non-towered airport when the use of radios are not required.

I applied brakes and then they locked up. I felt the aircraft skid and lost control. It hit a sign off the runway and then came to a stop in the grass area of the runway, during which two of the landing gears failed.

A friend in an aircraft on the ground made a radio call warning us that it appeared that the Cirrus was “right on top of us” and to break off.

As a low-time private pilot and student instrument pilot, this was an incredible learning opportunity and lesson that I will remember for the rest of my flying career.