Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor reported that, during an instructional flight with the student pilot at the flight controls, just prior to touchdown, the airplane started drifting left of center. The instructor told his student to go around, but the airplane had already reached the edge of the runway. When the instructor took control, the airplane had already exited the runway and came to rest on the adjacent dirt terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.