Cirrus Design Corp SR22T N228DF accident near Milledgeville, Georgia

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain a proper approach path for landing and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in a runway undershoot and collision with a taxiway sign.

NTSB analysis

According to the flight instructor, he and the student pilot were practicing short field landings. When the airplane was about 20 feet above the ground on approach to the runway, the airspeed suddenly decreased. The student pilot applied full engine power, the airplane yawed to the left, and the airplane impacted the ground before it reached the runway. The flight instructor took the flight controls, decreased the engine power to idle, and applied the brakes; however, the airplane struck a taxiway sign that was located on the left side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA13CA222 for the full record.