Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 70; Flight Crew Total 4100; Flight Crew Type 450
Training / Qualification; Workload
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach; Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Weather; Human Factors; Procedure
Upon return from a one hour training flight; the student pilot set up for a gusty wind landing on Runway 14; configured the C172 with 20 degrees of flaps and established a final approach speed of 70-75 KTS. Initial round out and flare was normal. As the aircraft slowed; the student pilot allowed the aircraft to 'weather vane' into the wind (180@12G24KTS). The CFI noted this to the student pilot with verbal cues and hand gestures. During the flare; the student pilot allowed the aircraft to balloon slightly (approximately 4-5' above the runway) as he strived to input crosswind corrections with the rudder and ailerons. The gusting wind suddenly 'died away' causing the aircraft to suddenly sink toward the runway. The student pilot corrected for this by swiftly applying excessive back yoke causing the nose to rise sharply and the tail tie-down ring to strike the runway surface causing the tail tie-down ring to shear off and the plastic rudder fairing (bottom) to crack. The aluminum skin around the tail tie-down ring was scratched (an area approx 2' X 2' square). The roll out and taxi was normal. The CFI (me) failed to intervene fast enough to prevent the tail from striking the runway. There were no passengers on board and neither the student nor the CFI was injured. I believe this situation could have been prevented if the CFI had kept his hands closer to the yoke given the gusty conditions and intervened earlier when the student began showing signs of getting behind the aircraft. Also; we could have requested Runway 19 (more in line with the existing winds) and removed the crosswind from the equation.
A C172 instructor reported his student ballooned during a crosswind landing and as the aircraft settled again near the runway the student pulled rapidly on the yoke driving the tail into the runway before the main gear touched. Damage was reported.