Incident Overview
The landing occurred approximately 30 minutes after local sunrise, with the early morning sun causing intense glare. The flying pilot installed a windshield sun shade at the other marker. Both pilots reported that the 1,000-foot and 500-foot call outs were made with confirmation of the runway in sight. The flying pilot continued to fly on instruments until decision height.
Flight Crew Report
According to the flight crew, at approximately 1,000 feet, the glare increased along with low haze, reducing forward visibility. The flying pilot believed the airplane was in the correct attitude for landing. However, the non-flying pilot (the pilot in command) took control prior to touchdown and flared the airplane when he perceived no apparent flare. The airplane then touched down hard.
Flight Data Recorder Data
A readout of the Flight Data Recorder indicated that the touchdown produced a vertical acceleration of 2.77 G. The data also showed that the sink rate increased when the non-flying pilot moved the control column aft in an attempt to flare the airplane.