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.
There were two occupants (an instructor — myself — and an instrument student) in a Cessna 172 SP inbound on the visual approach into ZZZ.
We entered on a right base and then proceeded to turn final. Student maintained stabilized approach criteria until crossing the threshold. Crossing the threshold and slightly high, the student had reduced power and allowed the nose to rise in attitude, reducing airspeed to approximately 50-55 knots, yet had not entered ground effect yet.
I recognized the need for a gain in airspeed either by lowering the nose and keeping a descent attitude or adding power to settle into ground effect.
Just prior to entering ground effect I was able to make pitch inputs with the yoke to lower the nose and continuously tell the student to lower the nose and keep it down.
Settling into ground effect the student prematurely pulled power to idle and abruptly reacted by adding significant back pressure while simultaneously locking up on the controls.
I tried to recover by lowering the nose as we were in a ballooning effect. With minimal altitude between the airplane and the runway and my inability to overpower the student’s back pressure, I had little to no time to even try and add power for a go-around.
Considering our lack of altitude and high inertia towards the runway, we were in a position where a hard landing was inevitable. I tried my best to protect the airplane and continue to keep the airplane lined up on centerline to ensure we would at least not side load.
With the student’s locked controls, we were set into an aggressive attitude that led us to have a minor tail strike. The C172 tail skid plate was bent and penetrated the bottom skin of the rudder.
Upon landing, I notified maintenance personnel, as aircraft rudder was affected.
Primary Problem: Human Factors
ACN: 2142506
2 similar issues when giving CAP cadet orientation flights:
Several years ago I was giving orientation flights when the right seat cadet panicked, pulling on the yoke and squeezing his eyes shut. I was barely able to push against him to control the pitch up and prevent a high angle of attack. Finally I swung my right arm, slamming into his chest. He let go of the yoke, grabbed his sore ribs, and yelled, “you hit me!” My response was, “yep, to stop you from killing us!”
Giving rides in the glider, the cadet sits in front with a full set of controls. There really is nothing to hold on to, except that stick coming up from the floor in front of them. We tell them to hold on to their shoulder harness very tightly, until it is time for them to use the controls.
Part of Passenger briefing emphasis on hand placement take off/Landing..John CFII
What was the instructor doing letting the student get into this situation ? To freeze up on the controls indicates that the student either has a disposition that should have kept him out of any vehicle of any sort – to panic under stress = disaster, or hadn’t had sufficient training on recovery techniques during their basic training. How many hours of instructing time did the instructor have and what age. These two factors could significantly impact on the situation.
Students should be equipped with quick-disconnect wrists.
Happened at Santa Monica a few years ago. Demo flight. Passenger yanked back and wouldn’t let go. Two dead.
I remember reading about that one. He pressed the mic button so the tower would know what had actually happened. He said, let go of the controls.
Decades ago a CFI told me his solution to this problem.
Poke him in the eye. Human instinct will take over as the student will instinctively instantly react by raising both hands to protect their eyes eyes.
All the things that are not thought!
“First I have the aircraft,” if no release the student gets hit in the throat, still nothing, gets hit on his nose covering his eyes, still nothing, gets hit hard in the ribs! This is very important for female instructors to do. We have had several instructors die because of lock up. A passenger in the front seat can cause the same problem. I’m not dying for anybody!
I am not an instructor however, I have given rides as well as tailwheel time to pilots before the “endorsement” was required. I learned fast that “students” or passengers go in the front seat of a tandem seat airplane. If they are in front they are reachable, in the back I would become the passenger if they grab the controls. A good smack in the head, usually only once, would get them to return the controls. With pasengers I like to have them hold onto the windshield braces during takeoff/landing so I can SEE where their hands are.
This sounds more like this is written by the instructor than the student pilot? How many hours and landings does the student have? I wonder what would have happened if the instructor re-framed from touching the controls and just told the student to put the nose down and go around?
This was written by the instructor.
No mention of the 4 words that that should have ended this fiasco before it started: “I have the aircraft”.
On EVERY dual flight, I make a point of taking control, sometimes for as little as 5-10 seconds so that the PUI (Pilot Under Instruction) is conditioned to release the controls instantly when those words are spoken, and yes, it’s the full 3-step process of transfer.
Words to live by!