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.
Airplane owner is recovering from knee surgery and asked me to take her flying. Me in left seat, owner in right in the Cessna 140.
She did the takeoff and all the flying for 45 minutes, then I suggested a touch and go at ZZZ.
We listened to ATIS but I don’t recall what the wind was doing. I do recall that most of the taxiways were closed and under repair/construction.
Owner flew the pattern then asked me to take it on short final.
We were high and fast, so I slipped to lose altitude and held nose up to reduce airspeed. I intended a wheel landing, then touch and go.
I bounced a bit on the touch down and was blown off to the left by a right crosswind and went off the runway into the dirt and dirt clods and saw construction cones in front of me.
I pressed right rudder and got back on the runway where the plane made 2.5 circles and stopped facing back the way I came.
Tower asked if I needed help, which I declined, then turned back in the correct direction and taxied to the end of the runway where I exited at Taxiway XX and told ground I was shutting down to check the plane.
The owner and I got out and examined thoroughly. There was no damage. The only evidence of my “off roading” was dust on the tires. We got back in the plane, taxied to the departure end, took off and landed back at ZZZ1 with no issues.
Human performance considerations: As a CFI, I should remain alert, aware of the situation and environment at all times and ready to take corrective action. I did not do that yesterday.
The airplane owner and I are friends and we were enjoying a beautiful day, flight and conversation. I was not paying much attention to the windsocks or to the final approach and got caught off guard.
I should have recognized I was not prepared for the landing and gone around and made sure I had a stabilized approach and a clear picture of the wind situation.
I was incredibly lucky not to have damaged the plane or caused any injuries.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2020190
So, was she medically cleared to be piloting an aircraft again before returning to the cockpit after injury/surgery? Thinking maybe you as CFI, and by default PIC, given the situation, should have been closer to the controls the entire flight, and especially near the ground.
A leg injury is obviously nothing to sneeze at, especially in a taildragger, and especially near the ground, as in her taxi, takeoffs and any landings.
Appreciate your honesty in relaying this story, but in contrast, have to question some of your judgement.
Did you even read the report?
Quote: As a CFI, I should remain alert, aware of the situation and environment at all times and ready to take corrective action. I did not do that yesterday.
This is more than being alert and ready in the cockpit. This is deciding prior to flight what is appropriate, and what isn’t. She had a valid medical or basic med before the knee issue problem.
That became void when he knee became an issue.
Obviously an instructor can fly with Joe Blow non-pilot off the street, and let him manipulate the controls. But until she was cleared by a medical authority to return to flying, she was not 100%, and having her performing a landing might have been a stretch.
Don’t CFIs get schooled on such things?
Not to worry?
I was a brand new instructor circa(1964). A pilot came to the flight school and wanted to get checkout in the aeronca champ .He told me was a former air force pilot and learned to fly in a T-6. Assumed he had a lot more experience than me and he would have no problem taxing a tail dragger like a Aeronca champ. Sitting compliance in the back seat all of a sudden I found the aircraft off the taxiway in the grass.fFortunately there was no damage so all I got was a very stern chewing out by the chief pilot. That was almost sixty years ago and thirty thousand hours later but a lesson still remembered
“We listened to ATIS but I don’t recall what the wind was doing.”
I have done that–heard something like ATIS or a radio call but didn’t “listen” to it, looked at something but didn’t “see” it. When I do it I scare myself (good!) because it’s not just while flying–it could be while driving a car, too. Look at the stop sign, don’t really “see” it or have it register in my mind. Stop light, too.
Very fortunate there were no injuries or damage to the plane. As a fellow CFI I’ve been there but like you just some dirt and dust on the tires.
I salute the CFI’s honesty and self-appraisal as to the source of the incident.
Regards/J