Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On September 28, 2000, at 1850 mountain daylight time, a Grumman American AA-1B, N9622L, sustained substantial damage when the aircraft was landed hard and exited the side of the runway on a dual piloted instructional flight. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this local area flight being operated under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed at 1730.

According to the student pilot, he had made six touch and go landings and was practicing an engine out landing to runway 15. The aircraft developed a high sink rate on short final and he said, "I landed hard and the aircraft bounced and came to rest in a ditch beside the runway."

Weather at the time was daylight conditions, clear skies, wind from the north at 3 knots and a density altitude of 8,200 feet.

The flight instructor had 56 hours flight experience in the accident aircraft make and model and no time in make and model in the preceding 90 days. The student pilot had 27 hours total flight experience and 15 hours in make and model, all within the preceding 30 days.

All the landing gear, the propeller, and both wings sustained damage. Inadequate supervision by the certified flight instructor. Factors were loss of control by the student pilot, the flight instructor's failure to properly monitor the student pilot's rate of descent on final approach, and the flight instructor's lack of recent experience in make and model.