Narrative:

At the time I was training a trainee with over 40 hours of training. It was not very busy, the situation was not complex, and the trainee had demonstrated previous ability to handle similar sits without any difficulty. Small aircraft X, with a student pilot and an instructor, was performing touch- and-goes in left traffic to runway 29. Small aircraft X called ready to go, full length runway 29. Small aircraft Y was given clearance to taxi into position and hold. As the trainer, I looked up and saw that small aircraft X, who had been cleared for the touch-and-go, was still in the downwind. I then looked away believing that the situation was well in hand. The next thing I knew, the trainee called my name, the tone indicating that something was wrong. Small aircraft Y was given takeoff clearance and small aircraft X was flying over the small aircraft Y to the displaced landing threshold of runway 29 in a steep descent. The trainee then immediately told small aircraft Y to cancel takeoff instructions. I then informed the trainee that the small aircraft X has to be sent around. The trainee who had done such an exemplary job of cancelling small aircraft Y's takeoff clearance now either froze or saw that there was no chance of the 2 aircraft colliding and did nothing. However, as soon as the small aircraft X was over small aircraft Y and put his wheels on the runway, an operational error had occurred. As the trainer, I allowed myself to be less than fully vigilant of what was going on and looked away, confident that the trainee had everything well in hand. My tone never implied how important it was for the trainee to send the aircraft around. My calm manner probably relaxed the trainee to the point where there did not seem to be an urgent need to send the small aircraft X around. As a trainer, this incident has taught me never to take anything for granted. Until a trainee becomes certified on a position, that trainee is to be watched vigilantly, even if they demonstrated competence in similar or even less complex sits. May we all learn from our mistakes.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TRAINING IN PROGRESS, TRAINEE HAS AN SMA DEPARTING AND ANOTHER SMA LNDG RESULTING IN LTSS.

Narrative: AT THE TIME I WAS TRAINING A TRAINEE WITH OVER 40 HRS OF TRAINING. IT WAS NOT VERY BUSY, THE SIT WAS NOT COMPLEX, AND THE TRAINEE HAD DEMONSTRATED PREVIOUS ABILITY TO HANDLE SIMILAR SITS WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY. SMA X, WITH A STUDENT PLT AND AN INSTRUCTOR, WAS PERFORMING TOUCH- AND-GOES IN L TFC TO RWY 29. SMA X CALLED READY TO GO, FULL LENGTH RWY 29. SMA Y WAS GIVEN CLRNC TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD. AS THE TRAINER, I LOOKED UP AND SAW THAT SMA X, WHO HAD BEEN CLRED FOR THE TOUCH-AND-GO, WAS STILL IN THE DOWNWIND. I THEN LOOKED AWAY BELIEVING THAT THE SIT WAS WELL IN HAND. THE NEXT THING I KNEW, THE TRAINEE CALLED MY NAME, THE TONE INDICATING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. SMA Y WAS GIVEN TKOF CLRNC AND SMA X WAS FLYING OVER THE SMA Y TO THE DISPLACED LNDG THRESHOLD OF RWY 29 IN A STEEP DSCNT. THE TRAINEE THEN IMMEDIATELY TOLD SMA Y TO CANCEL TKOF INSTRUCTIONS. I THEN INFORMED THE TRAINEE THAT THE SMA X HAS TO BE SENT AROUND. THE TRAINEE WHO HAD DONE SUCH AN EXEMPLARY JOB OF CANCELLING SMA Y'S TKOF CLRNC NOW EITHER FROZE OR SAW THAT THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF THE 2 ACFT COLLIDING AND DID NOTHING. HOWEVER, AS SOON AS THE SMA X WAS OVER SMA Y AND PUT HIS WHEELS ON THE RWY, AN OPERROR HAD OCCURRED. AS THE TRAINER, I ALLOWED MYSELF TO BE LESS THAN FULLY VIGILANT OF WHAT WAS GOING ON AND LOOKED AWAY, CONFIDENT THAT THE TRAINEE HAD EVERYTHING WELL IN HAND. MY TONE NEVER IMPLIED HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS FOR THE TRAINEE TO SEND THE ACFT AROUND. MY CALM MANNER PROBABLY RELAXED THE TRAINEE TO THE POINT WHERE THERE DID NOT SEEM TO BE AN URGENT NEED TO SEND THE SMA X AROUND. AS A TRAINER, THIS INCIDENT HAS TAUGHT ME NEVER TO TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED. UNTIL A TRAINEE BECOMES CERTIFIED ON A POS, THAT TRAINEE IS TO BE WATCHED VIGILANTLY, EVEN IF THEY DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCE IN SIMILAR OR EVEN LESS COMPLEX SITS. MAY WE ALL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.