Regional Jet 900 (CRJ900)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Human Factors
I was the pilot flying and landing on Runway XXR at ZZZ. There weather was VMC and there were wind gusts. I was landing the aircraft and at the 100 ft GPWS call I started to slowly back off on power and went level to start the flare. Speed started to slow below ref (as it should on landing). As speed slows I am increasing pitch attitude around 4-5 degrees and continuing to increase back pressure as airspeed is lost and to manage descent rate. At this point I am below Vref and completely in control of the aircraft. The captain says 'you're flaring too early push down' he puts his hand on his yoke and pushes forward on it. A second or two later he says 'add power' in a concerned voice. I accept his command and add thrust. The plane touches down on the mains; but due to the resultant thrust added we bounce. The aircraft comes down on the nosewheel and then mains and makes for a firmer than usual landing. The approach was stable. The landing was stable. The landing was firm.The captain expressed at the gate that we were flight idle at 70 feet; this wasn't true. He said our sink rate was around 1400 FPM at 70 ft. That is not mathematically possible as we were nose high in a controlled landing flare. In addition there was no GPWS annunciation of any sort during the approach or landing. The captain implied that the 'CRJ-200 flies differently than the -900' and that the 'CRJ-900 is difficult to land.' I'm not sure why he mentioned the CRJ-200 during the debrief; but I personally have found the -900 to be a pleasure to land as I have experience landing jet aircraft other than the CRJ series. This led me to believe that he is one of the many CRJ-200 pilots that have transitioned to the -900 and still fly the -900 like the -200 when landing; flaring and arresting the descent immediately before touchdown which results in high speed landings (landing at Vref instead of below it). I was in control during the approach and landing and at no time was there any deviation of standardized profiles or configurations. At no time did the captain indicate that the approach was unstable. His concern and disruption of flight control manipulation came only after he realized I wasn't going to use the 'CRJ-200 landing technique' to land our aircraft. He acknowledged in the debrief at the gate that 'some pilots land using a nose high attitude' but that 'he doesn't'. It is my firm belief that had he not interrupted my flight control manipulation by inputting down elevator direction on his yoke; that we would've had a smooth and uneventful landing.
CRJ-900 First Officer reported a bounced landing with wind gusts and a disagreement with the Captain about landing technique.