Cessna 175 N6832D accident near El Monte, California

Probable cause

The flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment on approach.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings during an instructional flight with a flight instructor on board. During the eighth landing, the airplane drifted to the right of the runway just before touchdown, and the flight instructor applied full left rudder to correct as the airplane touched down. The airplane's nose yawed to the right. The student applied full power, the airplane became airborne, and the stall horn activated. The flight instructor pushed the nose down, but the elevator control had "no travel." The instructor was unable to regain control, and the airplane subsequently settled back to the ground and impacted a drainage channel and trees. It could not be determined whether there was any communication or coordination between the student and the instructor that resulted in the student's application of engine power.

Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the flight control system that would have precluded normal operation. Witness marks identified on the side of the fuselage revealed that the flaps were extended to 30o at the time of impact. It is likely that, by the time the flight instructor attempted to regain control in this configuration, the airplane was at or near its critical angle of attack, and the instructor was unable to regain control before the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall, impacted the runway, and subsequently departed the runway surface.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR17LA112 for the full record.