Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Glider; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 5300; Flight Crew Type 300
Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft; Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Unstabilized Approach
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged
Human Factors
I conducted a Commercial single-engine land checkride for the applicant. Around XA:30 EST; in C172-RG; I asked the applicant to perform a power-off 180 approach to the runway. He did everything well up until the last 300 feet on final approach. With the gear down; and the flaps at 20 degrees; the applicant thought he was a little high; and decided to do a forward slip to lose altitude. He slipped aggressively nose left; right wing down; which immediately caught my attention. As he did this; he increased pitch; and we started losing airspeed. Before I could say anything; he corrected and reduced the pitch; still in a forward slip. A second later; around 100 feet; he aggressively increased pitch again; alarmed; I checked our airspeed and it was decreasing through 50 knots. I yelled 'go-around; go-around; go-around; my plane' and reached for the throttle. His hand was already on the throttle; blocking my hand. He advanced power; but much too little; and by then; too late. I simultaneously grabbed the yoke; to reduce pitch and prevent the stall. At the same time; [the student] reduced pitch; but without the power; we stalled about 10 feet above the ground. As the nose was coming forward; we landed on the main and nose gear. All the momentum was pitching forward at that point; collapsing the nose gear; and striking the prop on the ground. The applicant apologized to me later; saying that he was so focused and committed to landing; having tunnel vision that he wasn't going to go around; nor let me take the aircraft. As an instructor; and examiner; I recommend practicing go-arounds and proper transfer of controls on short-final with your students. They should be ready to go around; at your command; even when the approach is good; and you're surprising them with the command. As an instructor; you should be ready to deal with a student who doesn't respond; and doesn't relinquish control of the aircraft when you tell them to.
An examiner conducting a Commercial Single-Engine Land checkride reports of a student who on short final executes a forward slip. While in the slip the student begins to pitch up the aircraft bleeding off too much airspeed and near a stall. Student recovers some airspeed but once again pitches up aggressively and as the examiner calls for the go-around but it is too late. The aircraft stalls approximately 10 feet above the ground and the aircraft touches down on all three wheels causing the nose gear to collapse and a prop strike.