A Diamond DA40 sustained “structural damage to the airframe” as the result of a hard landing on May 9, 2009. Up front were a primary student and a CFI who had just completed three touch and goes..
The CFI reported that the student had allowed airspeed to decay each time, resulting in excessive sink rates. Perhaps that’s why he told the student to simulate a short-field approach on the fourth circuit—to demonstrate the time and place for a slow, steep descent. With the flaps fully extended, the Diamond got slow 25 feet over the runway and, according to the NTSB report, “the airplane entered a vertical rate of descent. The student pilot did not apply power. The CFI reached over to add power, missed the throttle….”
He was, however, able to bring up the nose before impact.
A fall from 25 feet doesn’t leave much time to react, but “missing the throttle” is unusual. One factor may have been the instructor’s limited experience.
He claimed a total of 551 hours flight experience, but only four as a CFI. He had 120 hours in the same make and model, but there’s no record of how many were flown from the right seat. The DA40 is a distinctive airplane whose controls don’t necessarily jump to hand if you’re used to other models—especially if it’s the opposite hand.
Flight training frequently involves gradually reducing the margin for error without significantly increasing risk. The process doesn’t end with the award of a flight instructor’s certificate.
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