Primary finding
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during landing, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in impact with a ditch.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The student pilot and instructor were practicing short field landings at an airport with a 34-foot-wide runway. While performing the second landing, the student pilot landed left of the runway centerline, and the left tire entered the grass along the runway edge. Both the student pilot and instructor attempted to correct by applying right rudder, however the airplane continued to veer left. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch filled with tall grass, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The flight instructor reported there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.