20080418837519A

(-23) On April 18, 2008, at 1205 eastern daylight time, a aerofab lake LA-250, N14037, registered to and operated by a private pilot, under title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 training flight, crashed into a wooded terrain during a simulated engine failure. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The certified flight instructor (CFI) sustained serious injuries, and the private pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed from syracuse hancock international airort, syracuse, new york (syr) on April 18, 2008, at 1130. A witness, who lives in the area of Skaneateles where the airplane crashed, said that he was outside in his yard at about 1150 when he saw the airplane flying north of his house. He said that the airplane caught his attention because he heard the engine making a "sputtering" noise. However, according to him there was no smoke, and the airplane was circling around and not approaching from the usual angle. The airplane then turned on its side as it continued to descend. The witness said that shortly thereafter, he heard the engine rev-up, and the next thing he heard was a "crunching noise". A statement from the paramedics revealed that they were dispatched to the scene of the accident at 1158. When they entered the wooded area, they detected a "heavy smell of fuel". As they walked into the wooded area the witness at the scene of the accident called out for them to "hurry." The CFI was found lying on the ground approximately 12 feet from the airplane. The paramedics reported that the CFI was alert, conscious and oriented. The CFI said that he knew where he was and what had happened. He gave his name to the paramedics and told them that he was the CFI, and that he and the pilot of the plane were simulating an engine failure. He told the paramedics that he "lost airspeed thus causing the crash". The pilot, age 43, held a certified flight instructor (CFI) certificate with ratings for instrument airplane single engine land and sea. His certificate was updated on may 27, 2007. He held a second-class medical certificate issued June 5, 2007 with limitations for corrective lenses. Review of the cfi's logbook revealed that he had accumulated 10,024.6 total flight hours of which 23 hours were in the lake LA-250. The certified flight instructor had logged 17 training flight hours in the lake LA-250, which was flown in the last 90 days. Review of the cfi's flight training records recovered from the wreckage revealed that the purpose of the flight with the private pilot was flight training for a commercials pilot's certificate. On the day of the accident the traing flight consisted of short/soft field, and steep spirals to landing maneuvers. Review of other training records retrieved from the wreckage revealed that the last three training flights did not include a steep spiral to a landing maneuver.