DA40 Diamond Star
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 80; Flight Crew Total 1070; Flight Crew Type 150
Confusion; Situational Awareness
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Other / Unknown; Ground Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Ground Excursion Runway
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft; Human Factors
This was the 3rd or 4th lesson with this student. He is a taller student with a larger foot (size 15). The purpose of the day's lesson was for patterns. He had difficulty before with taxiing an aircraft with a castering nose wheel; but had seemed to figure it out. The first two takeoffs and landings were acceptable for his level of progress. The third takeoff was good and on centerline. His third landing he wanted help to maintain on the centerline. We touched down and began the rollout. My feet were on the pedals. I told him to press the brakes. As soon as he began to press the brakes we veered to the left. I got on both brakes but noticed the pedals were displaced to the left and I could not center them nor get enough pressure on the right pedal. It was if they were jammed. Before we departed the runway surface; I pulled the mixture to idle cutoff because we were heading for the taxiway signs. As we touched the grass; the airplane came to a quick stop. I asked him what happened and he was dumb struck. I taxied out and parked the plane. He demonstrated to me that his foot got trapped between the bottom instrument panel and the rudder pedal. I have this same problem with the Diamond DA20.
DA-40 instructor pilot reported a runway excursion due to a student's foot getting jammed on the rudder pedal.