Yes, I was discusing the 60% LDA
An LDA reference is plain wrong. That's an aerodrome runway number. LDR is the aircraft number.
he was supposed to flare to an acceptable touchdown sink rate
Which is why TPs are far braver than we mere mortals and do heaps of homework to minimise their probability of dying on the job.
Low speed/low energy/high drag state just is one too much of a big, big flare management risk .. which, of course, is why we don't do them on the line.
Am I confusing the pilot part with the incident a couple months later when they spun the MD-80 off the runway
Yep. The sink rate mishap was at Edwards, the hydraulics off mishap at Yuma (and one of the reasons we generally wait until the nosewheel is on the ground before pulling the buckets ..)
Some references
Boy, but does the system sing the TP's praises when he/she gets it right .. but crucifies him/her when he/she screws up. A bit like ordinary line mortal pilot accidents, I guess ...
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/...ts/AAR8202.pdf
http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online...s/AAR81-16.pdf