This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was flying left seat as a student pilot in a Cirrus SR22 accompanied by a CFI. We had previously entered the pattern and completed two land and taxi backs on Runway XX. We took off again to remain in the pattern.
As we were on downwind a Cessna coming in for a full stop landing on short final, executed a go-around, and said so on CTAF. I had a visual on the Cessna as he went around. I turned base on an extended downwind originally, giving him some space to taxi off the runway. As we turned to final I could see the Cessna clear of the runway on the upwind.
We were approaching the runway in a stable configuration. Prior to crossing the threshold the power was to idle and my instructor said to keep the nose up to keep us in ground effect so I could feel it.
As I was holding the nose up my instructor said “my controls.” In my mind I wasn’t sure why he wanted to take control. We were stable and about to touchdown, but I immediately removed my hands from the flight controls and said “your controls.”
I didn’t know if he saw something I did not.
I heard the engine come up to full power and saw him apply go-around thrust. At that point my sight picture went to nothing but sky.
My first thought was we are about to have a tail strike. As the nose came down I saw we were at about a 45° angle right of the runway centerline and we were heading for the grass. As the nose gear came down I could see that we were inevitably going to hit the ditch, so I braced for impact.
Once the plane came to a stop I looked up to check for any flames, which I didn’t see. At the same time I cut the mixture, turned off the ignition, and moved the tank selector to off. I checked on my CFI and then exited the plane once I knew we were not injured and able to do so.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 1886063
Increasingly every CFI (and DPE) action is adjudicated in the forum of social media and public opinion; usually one-sided accounts. Every lessons/checkride is examined/rated in real-time (and replay) on ADS-B by a jury of your peers. These one-sided accounts really tells us nothing meaningful about what happened since what the student *did not* see is obviously not included. Accounts like this are pretty meaningless except to point out how essential it is for a CFI to fully debrief and add meaning to an otherwise blank slate (dog watching television?)
Exactly this. Happens all the time in the media too.
Is there a part 2 to this story? A cliffhanger, perhaps?
Amazing story, need to hear
CFI side of such a one sided
Report.
Sounds more like a CYA problem than a CFI problem
I’d really like to hear the CFI’s side of this aeronautical adventure.
IF there was any substantial aircraft damage this will make for an interesting NTSB report.
The CFI did not ‘sound-like’ they were inclined to talk-freely about the incident with the student… missed lesson learned.
I suspect VERY unusual human factors appears to have played a role in this mishap, for the student pilot to file an ASRS report… with NO words from the CFI… and well-before the NTSB report.
I like these poorly-written ASRS reports; they aren’t very instructive or conclusive, but they allow us to fill in the blanks and come up with our own versions…
CFI takes controls of a Cirrus SR-22 from a 15-hour student pilot in a busy non-towered airport traffic pattern…while attempting to get over the obstacle that’s preventing the 15-hour student from soloing: his landings. No pressure there…
“I didn’t know if he saw something I did not.” In hindsight, it would appear so.
“In my mind I wasn’t sure why he wanted to take control.” Maybe because he didn’t want to end up in a pile of expensive composite junk off the side of the runway.
Which sounds like he may have anyway, based on how the report ends…but this an ASRS, not an NTSB report, so that’s good.
“We were stable and about to touchdown”….but, unfortunately, “we” were also pointed in the wrong direction…
It’d be great to hear the CFI’s version.
Glad no injuries.
Both are probably future defense lawyers……
I had been weighing whether or not to continue receiving this daily email. I’ve now decided to unsubscribe.
Before making a COGENT comment Would like to know more about the CFI – how long has he been teaching? -was this the home base or a Xcountry landing? – how long has the student been flying? To the editor – why print a story which doesn’t improve the knowledge of your readers?
Sounds like some kind of CYA story. ‘He took control, I know nothing, he crashed, his bad.’
Poorly written report and not helpful. Certainly not a learning experience.
First of all, the other plane in the pattern had nothing to go with this incident.
Secondly, what’s the point of writing up a NASA report if you don’t state the perceived causes and outcomes of the incident?
I guess Paul Harvey has the rest of the story 🤔
This leaves a lot more questions as to why the cfi took over!
Sounds like things were happening fast. Fifteen hour pilots aren’t as observant of conditions. It would be interesting to hear the instructor’s report.
This leaves a lot more questions as to why!
Why did this happen? Did you ask the CFI? Do we go to Cal Thomas for the rest of the story?