Narrative:

The WX was quite nice, temperature in the 80's, light winds with no clouds. The owner of the aircraft called asking if her boyfriend could get checked out in their recently purchased beech skipper. He had flown numerous times in the previous 3 months at ann arbor airport to work on his flight review, which he did not complete. I agreed to fly as long as it was early since I had another student -- they said they would be right out. They arrived and after going over his logbook (he had his private since about 1976 and logged a few hundred hours), we preflted his aircraft together since it was somewhat new to him. After some small talk, I learned he was a construction worker (quite a big guy, large hands and forearms). We determined that the airplane was airworthy and under gross takeoff weight for the 2 of us. After an uneventful takeoff and flight to the practice area for stalls, steep turns, minimum ctlable airspeed, and some emergency procedures, we flew back to adrian airport for some takeoffs and lndgs. He flew a nice approach, the airspeed was right on. Suddenly during the flare, the airplane ballooned and the pilot froze. He neglected to add power or lower the nose. Meanwhile, I yelled for power and tried to advance the throttle. He became so fixated and frozen, I could not get my hands on the throttle to get some power back into it. I grabbed the yoke and tried to increase airspeed, unfortunately the airplane struck the runway tail first. We exited the runway at the next taxiway and shut the engine down. After inspecting the aircraft, we found the tail tie-down had been pushed into the rear bulkhead. While taxiing back to the ramp, he admitted to freezing up when the airplane ballooned. He said this was not the first time he had frozen up with an instructor. While flying the skipper to its new airport, his instructor couldn't get to the rudders during landing because he had so much pressure on them, nearly causing them to go off the runway. The next day, the mechanic looked at the damage and decided it was 'not substantial,' meaning it is an incident and not an accident, and a report does not need to be filed. After running through the event in my mind the student should have told me he had previous problems with freezing up on landing. Also, I should have asked why he had not completed the flight review with the other instructor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR RPT REGARDING TRAINING ACTIVITY IN WHICH STUDENT FROZE AT THE CTLS ON LNDG. ACFT BOUNCED AND THEN STRUCK TAIL FIRST CAUSING THE TIE-DOWN RING TO BE PUSHED INTO THE BULKHEAD. STUDENT HAD FROZEN AT THE CTLS ON A PREVIOUS OCCASION BUT DID NOT INFORM THE INSTRUCTOR.

Narrative: THE WX WAS QUITE NICE, TEMP IN THE 80'S, LIGHT WINDS WITH NO CLOUDS. THE OWNER OF THE ACFT CALLED ASKING IF HER BOYFRIEND COULD GET CHKED OUT IN THEIR RECENTLY PURCHASED BEECH SKIPPER. HE HAD FLOWN NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PREVIOUS 3 MONTHS AT ANN ARBOR ARPT TO WORK ON HIS FLT REVIEW, WHICH HE DID NOT COMPLETE. I AGREED TO FLY AS LONG AS IT WAS EARLY SINCE I HAD ANOTHER STUDENT -- THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE RIGHT OUT. THEY ARRIVED AND AFTER GOING OVER HIS LOGBOOK (HE HAD HIS PVT SINCE ABOUT 1976 AND LOGGED A FEW HUNDRED HRS), WE PREFLTED HIS ACFT TOGETHER SINCE IT WAS SOMEWHAT NEW TO HIM. AFTER SOME SMALL TALK, I LEARNED HE WAS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER (QUITE A BIG GUY, LARGE HANDS AND FOREARMS). WE DETERMINED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AIRWORTHY AND UNDER GROSS TKOF WT FOR THE 2 OF US. AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL TKOF AND FLT TO THE PRACTICE AREA FOR STALLS, STEEP TURNS, MINIMUM CTLABLE AIRSPD, AND SOME EMER PROCS, WE FLEW BACK TO ADRIAN ARPT FOR SOME TKOFS AND LNDGS. HE FLEW A NICE APCH, THE AIRSPD WAS RIGHT ON. SUDDENLY DURING THE FLARE, THE AIRPLANE BALLOONED AND THE PLT FROZE. HE NEGLECTED TO ADD PWR OR LOWER THE NOSE. MEANWHILE, I YELLED FOR PWR AND TRIED TO ADVANCE THE THROTTLE. HE BECAME SO FIXATED AND FROZEN, I COULD NOT GET MY HANDS ON THE THROTTLE TO GET SOME PWR BACK INTO IT. I GRABBED THE YOKE AND TRIED TO INCREASE AIRSPD, UNFORTUNATELY THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE RWY TAIL FIRST. WE EXITED THE RWY AT THE NEXT TXWY AND SHUT THE ENG DOWN. AFTER INSPECTING THE ACFT, WE FOUND THE TAIL TIE-DOWN HAD BEEN PUSHED INTO THE REAR BULKHEAD. WHILE TAXIING BACK TO THE RAMP, HE ADMITTED TO FREEZING UP WHEN THE AIRPLANE BALLOONED. HE SAID THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME HE HAD FROZEN UP WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. WHILE FLYING THE SKIPPER TO ITS NEW ARPT, HIS INSTRUCTOR COULDN'T GET TO THE RUDDERS DURING LNDG BECAUSE HE HAD SO MUCH PRESSURE ON THEM, NEARLY CAUSING THEM TO GO OFF THE RWY. THE NEXT DAY, THE MECH LOOKED AT THE DAMAGE AND DECIDED IT WAS 'NOT SUBSTANTIAL,' MEANING IT IS AN INCIDENT AND NOT AN ACCIDENT, AND A RPT DOES NOT NEED TO BE FILED. AFTER RUNNING THROUGH THE EVENT IN MY MIND THE STUDENT SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME HE HAD PREVIOUS PROBS WITH FREEZING UP ON LNDG. ALSO, I SHOULD HAVE ASKED WHY HE HAD NOT COMPLETED THE FLT REVIEW WITH THE OTHER INSTRUCTOR.

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.