Narrative:

The aircraft was cruising at 6;500FT over high desert terrain and my instrument student was in control of the airplane at the time. While crossing over a valley between higher terrain; the aircraft started a descent at 500 FPM without any compensation at the controls. This downdraft was of no consequence at the time because downdrafts of that caliber are very common in the area. As we proceeded on course; the rate of descent began to slowly increase and the student compensated accordingly as per my instructions. The compensation was enough to keep a level cruise altitude at our original altitude of 6;500 at about 2400 RPM and 90 mph indicated airspeed with approximately 22 gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks. At the time; we were waiting for the other side of the downdraft to come where we should find an updraft. There was no updraft on the opposite side of the downdraft. Instead; the aircraft went into a 2;000+ ft/min descent. I took control of the aircraft and began a 180 degree turn to exit the immediate area. The downdraft got worse and the aircraft continued on its 2;000+ FPM descent at full power (leaned appropriately) while maintaining vx (70 mph). At that time; I declared an emergency and squawked 7700 because I knew I didn't have enough time and altitude to get out of the area. An airline flight relayed information about my distress call to center. I also provided them with a cell phone number to contact me on. While I made my distress call; I found a wide; long dirt road to make my emergency landing on. I was able to bring the aircraft into ground effect while executing a soft-field landing and brought the airplane to a full stop without causing any damage to persons or property. The residents in the area saw us while we were in distress and came to assist once we came to a complete stop and shut down the engine. The residents were helpful and assisted in the recovery of the aircraft once weather conditions improved dramatically. The student appreciates the preemptive action I took to avoid crashing the aircraft and landing the aircraft as safely as possible. During this event; my student had nearly reached mental shutdown. He was able to assist me in evaluating my landing area. I don't know what else my student may have been experiencing. While I was at command; I initially felt disbelief and heightened anxiety; but my training then kicked in and I kept myself in control of my actions. I was able to assess the situation logically and came up with the appropriate response despite the stress levels I was experiencing. After the landing; I immediately contacted center to advise them that my student and I safely made it to the ground with no injuries or damage.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Flight instructor and student pilot were unable to maintain altitude in turbulent conditions; they made an unavoidable off airport landing on a road.

Narrative: The aircraft was cruising at 6;500FT over high desert terrain and my instrument student was in control of the airplane at the time. While crossing over a valley between higher terrain; the aircraft started a descent at 500 FPM without any compensation at the controls. This downdraft was of no consequence at the time because downdrafts of that caliber are very common in the area. As we proceeded on course; the rate of descent began to slowly increase and the student compensated accordingly as per my instructions. The compensation was enough to keep a level cruise altitude at our original altitude of 6;500 at about 2400 RPM and 90 MPH indicated airspeed with approximately 22 gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks. At the time; we were waiting for the other side of the downdraft to come where we should find an updraft. There was no updraft on the opposite side of the downdraft. Instead; the aircraft went into a 2;000+ FT/min descent. I took control of the aircraft and began a 180 degree turn to exit the immediate area. The downdraft got worse and the aircraft continued on its 2;000+ FPM descent at full power (leaned appropriately) while maintaining Vx (70 mph). At that time; I declared an emergency and squawked 7700 because I knew I didn't have enough time and altitude to get out of the area. An airline flight relayed information about my distress call to Center. I also provided them with a cell phone number to contact me on. While I made my distress call; I found a wide; long dirt road to make my emergency landing on. I was able to bring the aircraft into ground effect while executing a soft-field landing and brought the airplane to a full stop without causing any damage to persons or property. The residents in the area saw us while we were in distress and came to assist once we came to a complete stop and shut down the engine. The residents were helpful and assisted in the recovery of the aircraft once weather conditions improved dramatically. The student appreciates the preemptive action I took to avoid crashing the aircraft and landing the aircraft as safely as possible. During this event; my student had nearly reached mental shutdown. He was able to assist me in evaluating my landing area. I don't know what else my student may have been experiencing. While I was at command; I initially felt disbelief and heightened anxiety; but my training then kicked in and I kept myself in control of my actions. I was able to assess the situation logically and came up with the appropriate response despite the stress levels I was experiencing. After the landing; I immediately contacted Center to advise them that my student and I safely made it to the ground with no injuries or damage.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.