N8275Z

On May 30, 1996, at 1513 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N8275Z, registered to and operated by Letourneau University as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during landing at Longview, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight instructor and commercial pilot rated student were not injured. The flight originated from Longview, Texas, about 1410, and was in the traffic pattern at Gregg County Airport at the time of the accident.

According to the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, the commercial pilot rated student was practicing power off landings to runway 17. During the second power off landing, the student pilot initiated a forward slip to lose altitude. As the airplane came out of the slip the indicated airspeed was 60 knots. The nose of the aircraft dropped and the flight instructor was unable to correct the nose low attitude. The aircraft impacted the runway damaging the left wing, firewall, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and separating the landing gear.

The reported winds at the time of the accident were from 010 degrees at 8 knots.