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.
The student pilot had not flown in six months and wanted to get back into flying. The flight took off from ZZZ and into the local practice areas before flying to ZZZ1.
The first approach was high, so a go-around was performed. The second approach looked better and everything looked good until the student leveled off too early and started to flare.
The student realized the Cessna 172 was too high and dipped the nose down. The plane landed hard on the nose and main gear and bounced. The plane bounced again when I told the student to go around.
The student added power and immediately took it out when the plane started to veer to the left. The aircraft hit a runway edge light before stopping on the side of the runway.
The student told me afterward that they panicked and took out the power because they thought of a video of a plane crashing into a hangar they had seen earlier. They thought that would happen if they left the power in.
No injuries to the persons involved. No damage to the plane.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2052700
I took a newly minted private pilot out in a 182 for the first time. He had used a 172 for his training. He made an excellent approach, and began the round out perfect. He began to flare at just the right time but just before we touched down he stopped flaring and we hit hard on the mains first but in a relatively flat attitude. He looked at me and blamed me for not preventing the hard landing. It wasn’t hard enough to cause any damage other than to the ego. I had no idea he was going to stop the flare, and therefore didn’t have time to correct him. On the other hand, it’s an excellent learning experience. If we as instructors take the plane all the time and not let the student make safe manageable mistakes how does the student learn? I bet the student won’t make that mistake again.
Yeah but look at the FACTS here
Student had not flown in 6 months… I would love to see logged hours in the last 12 months but I bet very low
Students first approach was unacceptable
As an instructor his guard should have been up from the minute he reviewed his logbook before the flight.. that is providing the IP bothered to look
Rusty student panics on landing – NO, more correctly complacent IP failed to ensure positive control of the aircraft
Failed to:
— Keep student and aircraft performance from degrading past a point from which the IP could recover
guard throttle during critical phase of flight
assume controls in a timely manner to ensure flight safety
IP was complacent or not skilled enough to be instructing basic students
As IPs we must be prepared to assume control (we are already in command) and not permit a student from placing an aircraft into an un-recoverable situation
This student ‘perhaps’ should have not pulled power, depending on how far the aircraft had departed controlled flight, however, the student pilot was not in command, the IP was and therefore is responsible.