STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR PLTS OF BL8; DISTR BY SLIPPING ALT LOSS PRACTICE DURING LNDG MANEUVER; LANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE MARKED GRASS LNDG STRIP AT SPF.

Date: 2003-07 · Aircraft: Decathlon 8KCAB

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-landed-off-rwy

Synopsis

STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR PLTS OF BL8; DISTR BY SLIPPING ALT LOSS PRACTICE DURING LNDG MANEUVER; LANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE MARKED GRASS LNDG STRIP AT SPF.

Narrative

CHKING OUT IN TAILWHEEL ACFT; PRACTICE LNDGS WITH INSTRUCTOR ON GRASS RWY AT ZZZ. RECEIVED ATIS AND CONTACTED ZZZ UNICOM FOR RWY INFO. FIRST LNDG ON RWY 35 UNEVENTFUL. PWRED PARACHUTES AND OPERATOR NOTED ON GND WITH DISMANTLED MACHINE CLR OF R EDGE OF RWY 35. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 589011: PWRED PARACHUTES WORKING ON ADJACENT PORTION OF GRASS RWY. CONTINUATION OF NARRATIVE ACN 589013: ON SECOND LNDG A HIGH APCH WAS MADE TO RWY 35 TO PRACTICE SLIPPING APCH IN A TAILWHEEL ACFT. AFTER LINING UP ON FINAL FOR RWY 35; I (STUDENT) WAS CONCENTRATING ON GETTING THE FEEL OF A SLIP IN THIS ACFT WHICH WAS NEW TO ME. NEAR END OF SLIP I NOTED TO THE INSTRUCTOR THAT 'THE PARAGLIDER GUY HAS MOVED ACROSS THE RWY TO THE L SIDE.' SLIP WAS DISCONTINUED AND PWR ADDED TO LAND BEYOND THE LOCATION OF THE PWRED PARACHUTES AND OPERATOR -- NOW ON THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT AND ABOUT 1/3 THE WAY DOWN RWY 35. INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT NOTED BLACK/WHITE RWY MARKERS ON THE L OF THE ACFT WHILE WATCHING THE PWRED PARACHUTES. SAFE LNDG ACCOMPLISHED BEYOND PWRED PARACHUTES. DURING ROLLOUT INSTRUCTOR NOTED THAT WE HAD LANDED TO THE R OF THE MARKED RWY. WHILE CONCENTRATING ON THE SLIPPING APCH AND THE 'CHANGING' POS OF THE PWRED PARACHUTE OPERATOR; THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE R OF THE MARKED RWY. (THE PWRED PARACHUTE OPERATOR HAD NOT MOVED AT ALL!) SINCE BOTH PLTS WERE LOOKING OUT THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT; WE FAILED TO NOTICE THE ABSENCE OF BLACK/WHITE RWY MARKERS TO THE R OF THE ACFT. WE INADVERTENTLY HAD LANDED BESIDE THE MARKED RWY RATHER THAN ON THE RWY TURF. THE LNDG SURFACE WAS IDENTICAL IN THIS CASE; BUT AN ACCIDENT COULD HAVE RESULTED HAD THE RWY BERM BEEN SOFT OR RUTTED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) PIC WITH FEW RECENT HRS. 2) PIC NEW TO TYPE -- ALTHOUGH HAD MANY TAILWHEEL HRS MANY YRS AGO. 3) PIC NEW TO THIS ARPT. 4) TRAINING MANEUVER ON SHORT FINAL DISTR BOTH PLTS. 5) MOWED GRASS FIELD WAS SYMMETRICALLY DIVIDED INTO 1/3 L BERM 1/3 RWY 35; 1/3 R BERM -- ALL IDENTICAL DIMENSIONS; GRASS LENGTH; COLOR AND TEXTURE. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: 1) DON'T TRAIN AT UNFAMILIAR ARPTS. 2) DON'T GET DISTR FROM THE TASK AT HAND -- LNDG; IF PWRED PARACHUTE WAS A DISTR WE SHOULD HAVE GONE AROUND! 3) INSTRUCTORS -- ALWAYS WATCH YOUR STUDENT; THEY WILL DO STUPID THINGS! STUDENTS -- ALWAYS WATCH YOUR INSTRUCTOR; THEY DON'T ALWAYS CATCH YOUR STUPID MISTAKES!

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