Since You Asked

The aftermath of an accident

The student I flew with had numerous hours in general aviation aircraft, including about four hours in a Cessna 152 about a week before the accident flight. I had the yoke on takeoff, and the student's role was to manipulate the rudder pedals.

The student advanced the throttle and we tracked the centerline, all while I was saying in a calm voice, "Nice and relaxed, nice and easy...." I rotated the aircraft, we climbed about 20 to 30 feet, when the next thing I know, the student literally stomped the rudder fully left. I said, "I got it," and tried to keep the nose level in order to prevent the aircraft from stalling and flopping over in an incipient spin. The student then stomped the rudder full right.

The aircraft slowly lost altitude and we touched the edge of the 60-foot-wide runway heading about 70 degrees off of centerline...[and] the airplane flipped. We exited the airplane uninjured. The FAA and NTSB got involved, and I had to demonstrate normal takeoffs to the FAA. The NTSB report makes me look like, well, an idiot.

I had about 700 hours when I finished my CFI and now I am confused and at times feel downright awful. On an Internet board I read one instructor's account of a student who would apparently stomp the rudder periodically during flight, and continued to do so on subsequent flights.

And where does my life go from here? I would like to fly for a regional carrier or freight company someday. Instructing at a higher level would also be appealing, but if and when I leave this flight school, who will hire me?
Thank you,
No Name Please

Greetings NNP:
First, you were not necessarily wrong to let a student handle the controls on takeoff under your supervision. The assumption here, of course, is that you briefed the student about what he or she was supposed to do and assessed the student's capability to do it (which you clearly said you did in the part of your letter that I excised for space). This is a situation where it's important to identify your objectives in behavioral terms, in order to reduce any confusion about what behavior is expected from the student. Instead of saying, "Don't use too much rudder," you might instead say, "Under no circumstance should the rudder pedal be pushed forward through more than half of its full travel." This is followed by a physical demonstration of what "half of its full travel" means. Using behavioral terms helps to minimize confusion.

If a student is willing, I'll let him handle the controls on takeoff, but only under my close supervision. Normally this is the elevator control, not the rudder, but that's a personal preference. On the other hand, you did let the student over-control the airplane. I realize that these things happen fast, but that only means your response must be fast in return. If this means stomping the opposite rudder, yelling at the student, or even grabbing his legs and physically pulling them off the rudder (or all three), then so be it.

I've only had one experience with a stomper, and that was during climbout when I told him to add more right rudder. He tried to apply full right rudder, but I countered his application with left pedal. I didn't previously define what "more right rudder" meant. Instead, I should have said something like, "Push the right rudder pedal forward approximately one inch." That's defining an objective in behavioral terms.

So here's how I'd look at your situation. You received one heck of a lesson on that flight. You made a mistake in calculation or supervision or both. Mistakes happen to everyone, and I do mean everyone! And if everyone who made a mistake got out of aviation, then there would be only one guy left at the airport (there's always one guy at an airport who will never admit to ever having made a mistake).

This was a learning experience, albeit an embarrassing one. Sure, you feel bad and I would expect you to feel bad. If you didn't, then I'd be very worried about you. Your feelings show that you have a conscience. It doesn't appear that you've tried to lay the blame on anyone else, which is noble in my opinion.

Sometimes, the FAA and the NTSB don't offer advice specific to the situation. Requiring you to demonstrate takeoffs doesn't really speak to the problem of a student stomping on the rudder, does it? The FAA folks might have better assisted you had they spent time helping you identify the reasons behind as well as ways to prevent a student from over-controlling, as well as helping you with correcting an over-control in an airplane. This is something that many new flight instructors are not taught, to everyone's detriment. You're doing the right thing by cooperating and being willing to participate in a flight review of your performance.

As a final note, believe me when I say that this isn't the end of the world for you. Aviation needs people like you who love to teach. You have a good attitude, and I suspect that you will continue to make a wonderful contribution to aviation. This is just one experience that is disturbing and embarrassing. The bad feelings will eventually pass, but the lesson will stay and you'll be a better pilot because of it.

I know of several pilots who dented airplanes early in their careers and are now flying professionally. One friend is a senior airline captain. He once had a student shove the controls forward during the landing flare, digging the airplane into the runway. Both individuals were uninjured, and my friend learned a valuable lesson on that flight.

And guess what he did during the airline interview when they asked him about any accidents? He turned it to his advantage by talking about the valuable lesson he learned from that experience. He described in detail how his behavior productively changed as a result of experiencing that one event. He made the case that the accident had made him a much safer pilot. You can do the same, and I honestly don't believe that this experience will keep you from flying for any airline.

I do feel for you. You've paid the price, so you might as well get the goods by turning this unfortunate experience into a learning experience. In the long run, you won't be worse off for it.

FAA safety seminars

Dear Rod:
How can I find out about aviation seminars held by the FAA in my local area?
Thank you,
Thon

Greetings Thon:
Go to the FAA Safety Team's Web site and register for an account. From here you can choose from a list of preferences, such as to be notified when an FAA safety seminar is being held in your area.

Rod Machado is a flight instructor, author, educator, and speaker. A pilot since 1970 and a CFI since 1973, he has flown more than 8,000 hours and is part owner of a Cessna P210. Visit his Web site.