PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 224; Flight Crew Total 1200; Flight Crew Type 650
Distraction; Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
During a practice instrument approach to Runway 4R a near midair [collision] occurred between my aircraft and a Bonanza on a visual approach to the parallel runway 4L. My student was flying the GPS 4R approach under simulated partial panel conditions. As we leveled off at MDA I was instructing the student to identify the VDP. The student was not understanding my instruction and as I was explaining this he was drifting off course towards the centerline of runway 4L. At that time I heard another aircraft identify my aircraft to the tower asking tower what I was doing. I identified the traffic at my 9 o'clock position with approximately 200 ft. separation. I took the controls and immediately corrected our position on centerline after visually acquiring the traffic. The loss of separation was due to insufficient single pilot resource management on my part. I was monitoring the position on centerline with eyes outside the cockpit but did not visually acquire the traffic until it was nearly too late. My attention was focused on the student's lack of understanding of my instruction; whereas the traffic conflict should have been the priority.
PA28 instructor; with student flying a GPS approach under simulated partial panel conditions; reports allowing his student to drift off course into the approach path of the parallel runway; consequently causing a NMAC with a Bonanza. The Bonanza pilot asks the Tower what the PA28 is doing; alerting the instructor to the deviation.