20040211003629A

(-23) N55073, a Piper seneca PA-34-200, had entered the traffic pattern for left traffic for runway 31 at Hollister Municipal Airport for practice single engine approaches. The instructor failed the right engine by moving the mixture control to idle cut-off. The trainee identified, verified, and announced that the right propeller should be feathered. The instructor claimed he then placed the mixture control to full rich. However, the trainee claims the instructor left the mixture at idle cut-off. In any event, the single engine approach was conducted with the right engine's propeller wind-milling. The instructor and trainee then began to argue over where to lower the landing gear and flaps. This argument was a continuation from a previous flight's disagreement. The trainee wanted to lower the gear and flaps as would be done on a normal approach. The instructor insisted they be delayed until landing was assured. The instructor stated that the seneca flies like a brick with an engine out. The trainee eventually followed the instructor's instructions. The landing gear and flaps were lowered on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern. Both pilots agreed that the trainee flared too high, got too slow, and added power on the left engine. During the flare, the instructor pilot pushed the elevator control forward. The trainee instinctively pulled it back. For a brief time, the pilots engaged in a tug-of-war over the elevator control. At touchdown, the instructor turned his attention to the trainee castigating her for fighting him on the controls. The seneca veered to the right as the trainee had not reduced power on the left engine to idle. The aircraft continued to swerve to the right, ran off the runway into the grass with about 4500 feet of runway remaining. The instructor directed the trainee to apply full power and go-around while the aircraft traveled through the grass headed toward a sign at taxiway delta. Tire marks on the runway and through the grass show evidence of the aircraft's ground path. When the trainee hesitated, the instructor took the controls and executed the go-around by applying full power and up elevator. The aircraft left the ground but did not clear the taxiway sign. The aircraft's right flap struck the top of the sign. The instructor kept the airplane in the air. The right flap appeared to be missing from the airplane. The instructorthought the landing gear might have been damaged. The instructor struggled to maintain control of the airplane. He had full left aileron and full left rudder applied. Both pilots agree that he was barely able to maintain a wings-level attitude. He called for the trainee to apply rudder trim. The trainee noticed that full left rudder trim was already applied so she started taking out left rudder trim. The seneca began an uncontrollable roll to the right. The instructor yelled for her to trim the other way. She moved the rudder trim back to its full left position. The instructor regained a wings-level attitude. The instructor declared an emergency on the UNICOM frequency. Despite having significantly altered flight characteristics and performance, the aircraft returned to runway 31 for a safe landing at Hollister Municipal Airport. The seneca's right flap received the following damage: the outboard attachment to the flap track had separated, the center flap track had been pulled completely out of the wing, and the flap had buckled 90 degrees at a point approximately one foot from the inboard end of the flap. A hole had been left in the right wing where the flap track had been torn out. There was likely damage to the structure of the right wing since the center flap track was ripped out of the structure to which it had been attached. The right aileron and wingtip also received minor damage.