Piper PA-28-140 N1812J accident near New Hudson, Michigan

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper landing flare and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during landing that resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor and student pilot completed takeoff and landing practice at another airport and were returning to the original departure airport. The flight instructor stated that the student pilot had performed well in his takeoff and landing performance, and the flight instructor had confidence in the student pilot’s ability to successfully land at the destination airport even though its runway was narrower than runways that the student pilot had practiced on. The flight instructor stated that the approach for landing was stabilized down to the runway threshold. During landing flare, the airplane bounced and turned left, at which time the flight instructor took the flight controls from the student pilot. The flight instructor initiated an aborted landing, but the left wing was stalled, and the airplane descended and impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN25LA284 for the full record.