Accident Overview
A flight instructor and a student pilot were conducting a training flight when the instructor ordered a go-around. The student pilot responded by pushing forward on the control wheel with his left hand and pulling back on the throttle with his right hand. This control input caused the aircraft to descend into the runway in a nose-down attitude, resulting in substantial damage.
Approach Conditions
At the time of the go-around command, the aircraft was on approach with a “high and fast” profile. Specifically, at midfield, the aircraft was at an altitude of 7 feet above ground level and a speed of 70 knots.
Pilot Background
The student pilot was a retired military aviator with approximately 4,000 hours of flying experience in military fighter aircraft. The accident occurred during the student's third flight in an airplane equipped with a control wheel, which is a different control interface than the stick used in many military fighters.
Control Interface Differences
In the accident airplane, the left-seated pilot typically operates the control wheel with the left hand and the throttle with the right hand. In contrast, most military fighter airplanes place the throttle in the left hand and the control stick in the right hand. The student's actions—pushing the control wheel forward with the left hand and pulling the throttle back with the right hand—are consistent with the input pattern for a go-around in a fighter aircraft, but opposite to the required inputs in the training airplane.