NTSB Factual Report

On September 12, 2004, at approximately 1445 Pacific daylight time, a Grumman American AA-5A, N26327, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during the final approach phase of a simulated forced landing at Smith Private Airport, Brooks, Oregon. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Pacific Flyers Inc. of Salem, Oregon was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country instructional flight that departed from McMinnville, Oregon, approximately 15 minutes before the accident. A VFR flight plan had not been filed.

According to the flight instructor, the flight was a check-ride preparation flight for the student. The flight instructor said that he was having the student perform a simulated engine out approach and landing. He stated that "on short final, the air speed diminished and [he] added full power in an attempt to prevent a stall." The airplane's nose wheel contacted some berry bushes growing on a berm at the end of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane's nose pitched down and the left wing impacted the ground, resulting in the separation of the outboard 4 feet of the wing. Additionally, the engine, nose landing gear, and right main landing gear separated from the fuselage, and the empennage was bent 90 degrees to the left.

NTSB Probable Cause

The flight instructor's failure to maintain altitude/clearance on final approach to land resulting in an in-flight collision with terrain. Contributing factors were the student pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach and the flight instructor's delay in taking remedial action.