Peter R. wrote:
On 7/12/2007 11:52:39 AM, James Sleeman wrote:

That was the problem, controller didn't get the student to "go
around" (like they should have) but instead to perform a non-standard
manouver ("turn left, fly north") late in the approach, if they had
asked for a go-around, seems we wouldn't be having this conversation,
pilot would have gone around and everybody would have been happy.

Not meaning to trivialize the death in this accident, but for the purpose of
discussion why would a "turn left, fly north" instruction be considered a
non-standard maneuver at a towered airport? What is a standard maneuver at a
towered airport?

Had the student been trained properly, he should have executed the EXACT
instructions he heard on the radio while maintaining control of the
airplane. Once turned left and headed North as directed, with the
airplane completely under control and watching for other traffic, he
should have ASKED for clarification and further instructions, even if
that required him using plain language telling ATC he was a student and
needed help.
There is always a tendency, and indeed a fact, that in a final accident
report, the FAA and the NTSB compartmentalize everything they consider
to be contributing factors. We as pilots and instructors on the other
hand must look at these things in the context of what WE could have done
to prevent the accident from happening in the first place.
That being said, it's obvious to me at least, that this student wasn't
prepared to deal with the situation he found himself in, and was killed
by the very basics he should have been following but wasn't.
In preparing a student for solo, it's incumbent on the instructor to
teach a student in such a way that when something unforeseen happens
like a command from ATC to vary from the expected, the trained reaction
of the student is to continue to fly the aircraft while sorting out the
"problem"
All this having been said, there is no absolute way for an instructor to
insure that a student won't do the wrong thing at the wrong time, but
the evidence in this accident indicates strongly that this student was
concentrating way too heavily on trying to follow the instructions given
at the expense of his basic flying skills.
It's always a toss up on these things, but I for one would want to sit
down with this student's instructor and have one LONG talk about this
accident and this student's preparation for solo in the environment
surrounding this accident.
Dudley Henriques