Event ERA12CA204

Factual narrative

In a written statement, the flight instructor stated that he and the pilot were practicing traffic pattern work and had performed two simulated engine failures prior to the accident. The instructor initiated a third simulated engine failure at a higher altitude than the previous two, and he suggested the pilot perform S-turns to lose altitude. While completing the turns to dissipate altitude, the airplane descended too low to complete a power-off landing to the runway. The instructor called for a go-around and attempted to add power, but the airplane pitched down and impacted the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor reported that he has had students mistake the pitch trim control for the throttle on past flights and after the accident they found the trim control pushed full forward into the nose down position. The flight instructor stated that he and the pilot receiving instruction were practicing traffic pattern work and had performed two simulated engine failures without incident before the accident. The flight instructor initiated a third simulated engine failure at a higher altitude than the previous two and suggested the pilot receiving instruction perform S-turns to lose altitude. During the maneuver, the airplane descended too low to complete a power-off landing to the runway, and the flight instructor told the pilot receiving instruction to perform a go-around. The flight instructor also reached for the throttle to add full power for the go-around, but the airplane abruptly pitched down and impacted the ground, substantially damaging the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed that the pitch trim control was in the full forward (nose-down) position. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C