Narrative:

On aug/sat/01, I signed off a student pilot for his second cross country of the day. He is my first private pilot applicant. I have had other advanced students in my short CFI career so far. He was signed off and departed around XA15 pm. The route should have taken no longer than 2.5 hours. However for reasons explained later the route took much longer with him not arriving back till approximately XE00 pm. At this point although it was still considered day dusk was beginning. On final approach the student misjudged and misread his glide path landing short of the runway. This created an incident that caused minor damage to the aircraft and runway lights. The student had no injuries and taxied the aircraft back to the ramp. The main events that led to this incident were: the student was fatigued as he had a long day. (Instructors but not students have maximum flight times per day.) the student was unexpectedly delayed at two of his stops. At one stop he was waiting for a commercial carrier to get a push as well as for them to get a release. At another stop the tower directed him to taxi to the ramp rather than taxi to the runway after he asked for stop and goes (these were to fulfill his tower controled landing requirement). At the ramp a lineman informed him that he must sign his logbook. Both of these above items created a delay. By the time the student arrived back it was getting to be dusk. The student chose not to perform a full pattern and landed straight in. To avoid such an incident in the future as an instructor I would do the following: impose flight time restrs per day for my students. Insure that my student leave earlier in the day so that even if they have unexpected delays they will have no chance of returning at dusk. I would strive for am departures only. I would make it clear that they do not need logbook signatures at the points of arrival and in addition I would instruct them to clarify controller commands that seem to disagree with their intention. I would familiarize the student and perform takeoffs and lndgs at dusk, as these are different than both day and night. I would further stress and demand from the student to perform full patterns at uncontrolled airports as this may have helped him get a better situational awareness. Supplemental information from acn 521338: I took off for my cross country flight to mfi-ste-grb-cwa-mfi. I got held up twice, once at green bay waiting for a jet to get clearance and taxi back and I got held up at cwa because the tower asked me to taxi in and then the lineman signaled for me to go by him. Then he wanted to sign my logbook because I was in my solo and he said he signs other students' book. On my final approach I did not fly a complete pattern, misread my glide path and landed short of the runway and thereby creating an incident that caused minor damage to the lights and aircraft. I then taxied back to the hangar. I had no injuries. To avoid any problems in the future, I would leave sooner, understand the lighting system better, make sure I use a complete landing pattern and make sure I have better situational awareness.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PA28 TRAINEE LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY WHEN FINISHING HIS SECOND SOLO XCOUNTRY AT DUSK.

Narrative: ON AUG/SAT/01, I SIGNED OFF A STUDENT PLT FOR HIS SECOND XCOUNTRY OF THE DAY. HE IS MY FIRST PVT PLT APPLICANT. I HAVE HAD OTHER ADVANCED STUDENTS IN MY SHORT CFI CAREER SO FAR. HE WAS SIGNED OFF AND DEPARTED AROUND XA15 PM. THE RTE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN NO LONGER THAN 2.5 HRS. HOWEVER FOR REASONS EXPLAINED LATER THE RTE TOOK MUCH LONGER WITH HIM NOT ARRIVING BACK TILL APPROX XE00 PM. AT THIS POINT ALTHOUGH IT WAS STILL CONSIDERED DAY DUSK WAS BEGINNING. ON FINAL APCH THE STUDENT MISJUDGED AND MISREAD HIS GLIDE PATH LNDG SHORT OF THE RWY. THIS CREATED AN INCIDENT THAT CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT AND RWY LIGHTS. THE STUDENT HAD NO INJURIES AND TAXIED THE ACFT BACK TO THE RAMP. THE MAIN EVENTS THAT LED TO THIS INCIDENT WERE: THE STUDENT WAS FATIGUED AS HE HAD A LONG DAY. (INSTRUCTORS BUT NOT STUDENTS HAVE MAX FLT TIMES PER DAY.) THE STUDENT WAS UNEXPECTEDLY DELAYED AT TWO OF HIS STOPS. AT ONE STOP HE WAS WAITING FOR A COMMERCIAL CARRIER TO GET A PUSH AS WELL AS FOR THEM TO GET A RELEASE. AT ANOTHER STOP THE TWR DIRECTED HIM TO TAXI TO THE RAMP RATHER THAN TAXI TO THE RWY AFTER HE ASKED FOR STOP AND GOES (THESE WERE TO FULFILL HIS TWR CTLED LNDG REQUIREMENT). AT THE RAMP A LINEMAN INFORMED HIM THAT HE MUST SIGN HIS LOGBOOK. BOTH OF THESE ABOVE ITEMS CREATED A DELAY. BY THE TIME THE STUDENT ARRIVED BACK IT WAS GETTING TO BE DUSK. THE STUDENT CHOSE NOT TO PERFORM A FULL PATTERN AND LANDED STRAIGHT IN. TO AVOID SUCH AN INCIDENT IN THE FUTURE AS AN INSTRUCTOR I WOULD DO THE FOLLOWING: IMPOSE FLT TIME RESTRS PER DAY FOR MY STUDENTS. INSURE THAT MY STUDENT LEAVE EARLIER IN THE DAY SO THAT EVEN IF THEY HAVE UNEXPECTED DELAYS THEY WILL HAVE NO CHANCE OF RETURNING AT DUSK. I WOULD STRIVE FOR AM DEPS ONLY. I WOULD MAKE IT CLR THAT THEY DO NOT NEED LOGBOOK SIGNATURES AT THE POINTS OF ARR AND IN ADDITION I WOULD INSTRUCT THEM TO CLARIFY CTLR COMMANDS THAT SEEM TO DISAGREE WITH THEIR INTENTION. I WOULD FAMILIARIZE THE STUDENT AND PERFORM TKOFS AND LNDGS AT DUSK, AS THESE ARE DIFFERENT THAN BOTH DAY AND NIGHT. I WOULD FURTHER STRESS AND DEMAND FROM THE STUDENT TO PERFORM FULL PATTERNS AT UNCTLED ARPTS AS THIS MAY HAVE HELPED HIM GET A BETTER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 521338: I TOOK OFF FOR MY XCOUNTRY FLT TO MFI-STE-GRB-CWA-MFI. I GOT HELD UP TWICE, ONCE AT GREEN BAY WAITING FOR A JET TO GET CLRNC AND TAXI BACK AND I GOT HELD UP AT CWA BECAUSE THE TWR ASKED ME TO TAXI IN AND THEN THE LINEMAN SIGNALED FOR ME TO GO BY HIM. THEN HE WANTED TO SIGN MY LOGBOOK BECAUSE I WAS IN MY SOLO AND HE SAID HE SIGNS OTHER STUDENTS' BOOK. ON MY FINAL APCH I DID NOT FLY A COMPLETE PATTERN, MISREAD MY GLIDE PATH AND LANDED SHORT OF THE RWY AND THEREBY CREATING AN INCIDENT THAT CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LIGHTS AND ACFT. I THEN TAXIED BACK TO THE HANGAR. I HAD NO INJURIES. TO AVOID ANY PROBS IN THE FUTURE, I WOULD LEAVE SOONER, UNDERSTAND THE LIGHTING SYS BETTER, MAKE SURE I USE A COMPLETE LNDG PATTERN AND MAKE SURE I HAVE BETTER SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.

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.