Incident Overview
During a landing flare, a flight instructor was guiding a student through the procedure. The instructor reported telling the student to flare the airplane and assisted by applying elevator back pressure. According to the instructor, the student instead applied forward pressure. Despite the instructor subsequently applying full back pressure, the airplane struck the runway in a nose-low attitude.
Student's Account
The student stated that the airplane began to yaw during the approach, and she concentrated on aligning it with the runway. She heard the instructor call for more power and felt a forceful nose-down pressure. The student said she did not believe she applied any elevator back pressure.
Witness Observation
Another flight instructor, positioned at the end of the runway, watched the airplane approach in an unusually nose-low attitude. He reported that there was no apparent attempt to flare the airplane.
Summary of Facts
The sequence of events involved a discrepancy between the instructor's and student's perceptions of control inputs. The airplane contacted the runway in a nose-low attitude. A witness corroborated the lack of a visible flare maneuver.