ANC97LA063

A flight instructor (CFI) was providing pre-solo flight instruction to a student pilot in a tailwheel equipped airplane. The student was practicing touch-and-go landings, and his landing approach was slightly high and fast. The airplane touched down on the runway and bounced upward to about 10 ft above the ground. The instructor added power, and attempted to correct the situation. The airplane touched down a second time, and again bounced into the air. The instructor's seat suddenly released and slid aft, preventing him from reaching the flight controls. The airplane touched down a third time along the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear broke at its fuselage attach point, and the left wing struck the ground. An inspection of the instructor's seat did not reveal any malfunction of the latching mechanism. The student pilot had accrued 14.5 hours of total instructional flight time, with 6.8 hours of instruction accrued in the accident airplane.

On April 28, 1997, about 2000 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 170, N3417C, crashed during landing at the Goose Bay Airport, about 8 1/2 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area instructional flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by the second pilot, sustained substantial damage. The first pilot, a certificated commercial/flight instructor pilot, the second pilot, a non-certificated student pilot, and two passengers, were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at the Lake Hood Strip, Anchorage, at 1915.

On April 29, 1997, at 0820, the first pilot reported in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), that he was providing presolo flight instruction to the second pilot. The first pilot was seated in the right front seat. During touch and go landings on runway 25, the second pilot was flying the airplane. His landing approach was slightly high and fast. The airplane touched down on the runway, and bounced upward to about 10 feet above the ground. The first pilot added power, and attempted to gain full control of the airplane. The airplane touched down a second time, and again bounced into the air. The first pilot's seat suddenly released and slid aft, preventing the first pilot from reaching the flight controls. The airplane touched down a third time along the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear broke at its fuselage attach point, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane received damage to the left landing gear, fuselage, the left wing lift strut, and left wing spar.

Following the accident, the airplane was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Inspector from the Anchorage Flight Standards District Office. The inspector reported the right front seat tracks, seat rollers, and the seat latch mechanism, did not exhibit any sign of wear. The owner of the airplane (the second pilot), reported that an airworthiness directive that addressed the seat locking mechanism, had been complied with.

The second pilot had accrued 14.5 hours of total instructional flight time, with 6.8 hours of instruction accrued in the accident airplane.