My understanding (I wasn't there) was that they were auto towing on a 3500 ft runway getting to 800 ft. I'm guessing that to be a possible factor in as much as all things are relative and 400 ft might not seemed quite as low to Andy starting from 800 ft as compared to how it might seem gliding down from the more usual aerotow start at 2000 ft. From 800 ft one has little opportunity to find lift before you must commit to landing. It's easy to see how he might have gotten a sense of accomodation to the lower altitudes and became willing to push lower on the tries.

Andy was one hell of a nice guy. He always wore a smile and was always willing to help. He was as easy going as anybody could be. Since I'm at the uptight end of the scale, I especially admired his ways. Andy will be seriously missed around here.