Piper PA 20 N1598A accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado

Probable cause

The flight instructor's improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of directional control.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that, while demonstrating a three-point, full-stall landing with a 4-knot right-quartering crosswind, the airplane bounced slightly but that it "seemed minor and controllable." The airplane touched down again, and he pulled the yoke further aft, which resulted in another small bounce. Once the airplane was on the runway, he pulled the yoke full aft, and the airplane immediately veered right off the runway. The instructor attempted to correct by applying full left rudder to no avail. The left wingtip and nose struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. A Federal Aviation Administer inspector and the pilot examined the airplane and found no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20CA161 for the full record.