SMT LANDS ON NOSEWHEEL FIRST WHEN BOTH PLTS THINK THE OTHER GUY IS FLYING.

Date: 1993-04 · Aircraft: Small Aircraft; Low Wing; 2 Eng; Retractable Gear

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-other-unknown|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SMT LANDS ON NOSEWHEEL FIRST WHEN BOTH PLTS THINK THE OTHER GUY IS FLYING.

Narrative

WE WERE SHOOTING A PRACTICE APCH ON THE ILS/DME RWY 21 APCH AT PRESCOTT (SIMULATED SINGLE ENG). AT THE MM WE WERE ABOVE GS. INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CTLS WHILE I REMOVED HOOD. HE FLEW IT TO ABOUT 75-50 FT ABOVE RWY SURFACE. I WAS WILLING TO LET HIM DO THE LNDG; ALTHOUGH I DID NOT COMMUNICATE THIS TO HIM. HE THEN SAID 'UH; YOU CAN HAVE CTL...IF YOU; UH; WANT IT.' I PROBABLY REPLIED 'OK' RATHER THAN THE USUAL 'I HAVE CTL.' I BEGAN TO PULL THE NOSE UP SLOWLY WHEN I THOUGHT I FELT MY INSTRUCTOR PUSH FORWARD ON HIS WHEEL. I THOUGHT THIS TO BE UNUSUAL SINCE WE WERE LOW; DSNDING FAST IN A NOSE LOW CONDITION. I THEN RELAXED THINKING HE WAS STILL FLYING THE ACFT. NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN FIRST AND WE BOUNCED BACK UP. I THEN NOTICED HIM GRABBING THE WHEEL AS HE ANNOUNCED 'I HAVE CTL.' 'I THOUGHT YOU HAD CTL' WAS MY RESPONSE. WE BOTH THEN REALIZED THAT NOBODY WAS REALLY FLYING THE ACFT -- AUTOLAND? THE ACFT WAS STILL TRIMMED FOR 100 KTS; 500 FPM DSCNT; WHICH I NORMALLY RETRIM SHORTLY BEFORE LNDG WHEN I'M FLYING. FORTUNATELY WE WALKED AWAY -- ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED WITH AN UNDAMAGED ACFT. WISHY-WASHY COMS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS. ANOTHER FACTOR WAS THE INSTRUCTOR WANTED TO LET ME DO THE LNDG; SINCE I WAS PAYING FOR IT. SINCE I WAS WILLING TO LET HIM DO THE LNDG I SHOULD HAVE TOLD HIM. LACK OF DECISIVENESS AND ASSERTIVENESS ALSO PLAYED THE ROLES.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.