2 CFI'S ON A TRAINING FLT MAKE 2 HARD LNDGS WITH HVY SIDELOADS. THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR THEM. CHIEF PLT HAS THEM INVESTIGATE AND THEY DISCOVER THE AUTOPLT SWITCH IS IN THE 'ON' POS.

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POOR AUTOPLT FEEDBACK LED TO 2 HARD LNDGS. I WAS FLYING WITH ANOTHER CFI ON A TRAINING FLT (I AM ALSO A CFI). HE LANDED THE ACFT WITH A HARD SIDE LOAD THAT FRIGHTENED BOTH OF US. HE CAME AROUND TO ATTEMPT ANOTHER LNDG AND AGAIN LANDED WITH A STRONG/HARD SIDE LOAD. THIS WAS UNCHARACTERISTIC FOR HIS LNDGS. WE DISCUSSED IT AND HE FELT CTLS FELT WEIRD. WHILE TAXIING BACK; THE YOKE WOULD TURN HARD TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. WE DISCUSSED THE SIT AND I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A XCTL PROB SINCE THE RUDDER TRIM LACKED A POS INDICATOR. WE DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH THE CHIEF PLT AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NO XLINKAGE BTWN THE RUDDER AND AILERONS. HE SAID IT WAS PROBABLY THE AUTOPLT. WE WENT BACK TO THE ACFT AND THE AUTOPLT WAS ON AND WOULD HAVE COMMANDED A L TURN ON LNDG WHICH IS WHAT OCCURRED. SINCE I HAD NEVER USED THE AUTOPLT IT WAS A SURPRISE TO ME THAT IT WOULD COMMAND A HDG CHANGE ON LNDG. ADDITIONALLY; THE ONLY INDICATION THAT THE AUTOPLT WAS ON WAS THE SWITCH POS; IE; NO ANNUNCIATOR. WE HAD CHKED THE AUTOPLT OFF BEFORE TKOF. IT MUST HAVE COME ON AT SOME POINT WHEN ONE OF US INADVERTENTLY BUMPED IT. THE ON/OFF SWITCH WAS TOO EASILY FLIPPED. IT ONLY REQUIRED A SLIGHT BUMP TO ENGAGE. THE SWITCH SHOULD BE DESIGNED BETTER. MY INEXPERIENCE WITH ANY AUTOPLT SYS LED TO MY LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AS TO WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS TYPE OF AILERON DISPLACEMENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT THE OTHER PLT REALIZED AFTER CHKING THE AUTOPLT AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT HE MUST HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THE AUTOPLT ALL ALONG BELIEVING THAT IT WAS A WIND HE WAS FIGHTING. WHEN HE RELEASED PRESSURES JUST PRIOR TO LNDG THE AUTOPLT TOOK OVER ONCE AGAIN AND CAUSED THE SIDELOAD LNDG. THE SWITCH IS JUST SOMETHING ONE MUST GET ACQUAINTED WITH WHEN OPERATING THIS ACFT. THE BIGGEST HELP WOULD BE TO HAVE AN ANNUNCIATOR TO INDICATE THE AUTOPLT WAS ACTIVATED.