INSTRUCTOR PILOT REPORTS ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER FROM STUDENT'S UNSTABILIZED APCH AND LANDING; CAUSING ACFT DAMAGE.

Date: 2008-05 · Aircraft: Light Sport Aircraft · Phase: approach

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control

Synopsis

INSTRUCTOR PILOT REPORTS ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER FROM STUDENT'S UNSTABILIZED APCH AND LANDING; CAUSING ACFT DAMAGE.

Narrative

THIS EVENT OCCURRED IN THE LNDG PHASE OF FLT. AS I RECALL; THE WINDS WERE ABOUT 310 DEGS AT 15 KTS; GUSTING TO 22 KTS. THE WINDS ARE A GUESS; BUT THEY ARE CLOSE TO WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE CORRECT. WE WERE GIVEN A LNDG CLRNC FOR RWY XXR. MY STUDENT WAS FLYING THE APCH AND LNDG. AS WE WERE NEARING THE RWY; THE STUDENT BEGAN TO FLARE TOO SOON. THIS CAUSED THE AIRSPD TO DROP WITHIN 10 KTS OF A STALL. AS I WAS TELLING HIM TO WATCH HIS AIRSPD; HE SUDDENLY BROUGHT THE PWR OUT TO IDLE AT ABOUT 15-20 FT AGL. UPON DOING THIS; HE ALSO NEVER LOWERED THE NOSE; LOSING EVEN MORE SPD. BY NOW; I WAS REACHING FOR AND APPLYING FULL PWR. I WAS ABLE TO ARREST OUR DSCNT WITHOUT TOUCHING DOWN. BY THIS TIME; I HAD CTL OF THE ACFT. AT THIS POINT I HAD NOT YET GONE AROUND AND HAD CLBED TO 5-10 FT AGL WHILE ALSO GAINING BACK SOME; BUT NOT MUCH; OF MY AIRSPD. FROM HERE I DETERMINED I COULD MAKE A SUCCESSFUL LNDG SINCE WE WERE STILL WINGS LEVEL GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY CTRLINE. IT WAS AT THIS POINT MY STUDENT PULLED HIS THROTTLE (DUAL THROTTLES) OUT TO IDLE. I WAS UNABLE TO PUT THE PWR BACK IN BEFORE WE HIT THE GND. WE ACTUALLY LANDED AS I WAS APPLYING FULL THROTTLE; TRYING TO REMAIN AIRBORNE. UPON LNDG; THE R MAIN WHEEL PANT BROKE AT AN ATTACHMENT POINT AND SPUN 180 DEGS TO ACTUALLY END UP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL BTWN THE ASPHALT AND THE RUBBER. WE ALSO HIT AND DAMAGED THE NOSEWHEEL PANT. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE ACFT TO A TXWY WITHOUT HITTING ANY RWY SIGNS/LIGHTS. ONCE WE MOVED THE WHEEL PANT FROM UNDERNEATH THE WHEEL WE WERE ABLE TO TAXI BACK TO THE FBO WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE. NO PROP STRIKE OCCURRED; AND NO OTHER LNDG GEAR DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT UPON INITIAL INSPECTION. JUST 2 BROKEN WHEEL PANTS. AFTER THINKING OF THIS EVENT; I BELIEVE MY STUDENT WAS UNNERVED ABOUT THE HIGHER WINDS AND WENT IN AN ALMOST 'I WANT DOWN NOW' THOUGHT. HIS LAST COUPLE OF LNDGS ON PREVIOUS LESSONS WERE FINE -- WITH HIS FROM A COUPLE DAYS AGO BEING VERY NICE. HE WAS UNABLE TO TELL ME WHY HE STARTED TO FLARE SO HIGH THIS TIME.

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