NTSB Factual Report

On May 28, 2005, at 1335 mountain daylight time, a Jackson Rans S-6S amateur-built experimental airplane, N133DJ, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground in an uncontrolled descent following a loss of control while landing at the Laurel Municipal Airport, Laurel, Montana. The flight instructor and the student pilot were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the student pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. The flight departed a private airstrip in Laurel at 1320.

According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was at the controls and they were making an approach to runway 04. On final approach, the instructor noted that the airplane was "starting to get too low and slow." He told the student to add power twice and then told the student to go around. The instructor reported that "full throttle is added, nose pitches up abruptly and steeply. Left wing stalls." The instructor took the controls, momentarily regained control, but then stalled the airplane a second time while attempting to clear terrain. The student pilot reported, "I let my airspeed get too slow and corrective measures did not prevail."

NTSB Probable Cause

The flight instructor's inadequate remedial action which resulted in a stall/spin during final approach to land. A contributing factor was the student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the landing approach.