LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ON THE RUNWAY (LODC-R) AND RUNWAY EXCURSION
Acknowledgements: Thomas P. Turner (Mastery Flight Training, Inc.)
“A good landing is the result of a good approach. A good approach is one in which on finals the airplane is:
1. On speed: Speed and angle of attack trending toward attaining the 50-foot/over-the-threshold speed at the point you cross the beginning of the prepared runway surface
2. On glidepath: A constant angle of descent to the point where you’ll begin your landing flare
3. In configuration: Flaps and landing gear set as appropriate for the point in your approach, and set for landing before reaching the runway threshold
4. In alignment: Lined up with the extended runway centreline between your main wheels
5. With zero sideslip: That is to say, maintaining that runway alignment
· Evaluate your approach against all these criteria .... If you fail to meet one or more when below about 400 feet above runway threshold height, go around!
Don’t wait until you’re in the flare whilst “behind the airplane”.
· Once in the flare, if you’ve misjudged its timing, or if a gust of wind causes you to overshoot your intended touchdown zone, or you begin a sideways drift, go around!
Don’t wait until:
1. you’ve made ground contact too far down the runway to stop in time
2. or you’re drifting off runway alignment toward the edge of the runway
3. or you’re touching down with a side load on the landing gear
· Do not force the airplane to touch down where you want it to. This may cause a bounce or overload the landing gear to failure. It may cause wheelbarrowing, that is LODC-R from too much of the airplane’s weight on the nosewheel and not enough on the mains for lateral control. In a tailwheel airplane it can contribute to a ground loop.
If the airplane bounces, and you cannot smoothly recover after the first bounce, follow The One Bounce Rule and go around!
Don’t wait for the second bounce.
· After a smooth, on target touchdown, gradually add in crosswind control as the airplane decelerates. The slower you go, the more control deflection you need to compensate for a given wind, because the controls become less effective with lower airflow.
As you reach a normal taxy speed, you’ll need full taxy crosswind controls.
· Don’t attempt to turn onto anything other than a high-speed taxiway until the airplane has slowed to a normal taxy speed. Turning too fast puts a side load on the landing gear which can cause immediate failure or contribute to fatigue that, over time, can build until the gear breaks or collapses even while under a normal load.
I find myself reviewing the criteria for final approach, conditions that call for a go-around, the One Bounce Rule, and techniques for crosswind control during roll-out quite often. But when I see a long list of LODC-R events within a short time frame, maybe I need to review them even more often”.
FLY SAFE!