Piper PA 28 N5673U accident near Parkersburg, West Virginia

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during the approach for landing, which resulted in impact with terrain short of the runway threshold. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate descent rate during the approach for landing.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that while on short final during an initial night flight with a student pilot, he commented to the student pilot that the airspeed was low. He then recognized that they were "in a high sink rate" and took over the flight controls. He further reported that he attempted to recover the high sink rate by advancing the throttle to full forward. The engine responded to the throttle input, but the airplane impacted the ground short of the runway threshold and slid about 30 feet left of the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and empennage.

The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA490 for the full record.