In an effort to prevent re-occurrence, the investigators will need to answer why no G/A from a misadjusted approach and what can be done in the future to ensure the landing is not continued.
In another era I was a simulator instructor training students who in their own country were strongly subject to cultural mores. One of which was unquestioning obedience to authority or higher status. One of the questions I asked of them was how would they take over control from a captain when it was obvious the approach was so badly unstable that an over-run was inevitable.
I explained I was asking the question for a good reason and that was sometime in their career as a pilot there was a good chance they would be faced with such an event. The universal reply, apart from a verbal warning, was along the lines of they would never attempt to take physical control from the captain - that it was unthinkable in their culture.
There had to be a way of changing that cultural mindset. I asked them to watch me demonstrate an example of a typical badly unstable approach and to note the end result. The simulator was placed n the landing configuration on a five mile ILS final in fully visual conditions. I then deliberately flew 30 knots above Vref and that was after I had entered a tailwind of 20 knots. Inevitably we got very high on glide slope and attempted to regain glide slope by 200 feet AFE by closing the throttles and .
increasing the rate of descent. All the time I pattered the approach including saying aloud " We are badly unstable but we can make this OK".
Ignoring sink rate GPWS auto warnings, we passed high over the fence at 25 knots beyond Vref plus the tailwind so that we had an impressive ground speed which was duly pointed out. We then deliberately floated a long way to achieve a smooth touch down on the wet runway.
It doesn't take much imagination to guess what happened next. With full reverse thrust and maximum manual braking we went off the far end of the runway at 60 knots. I had "arranged" a gear collapse and the noise was impressive.
I then pointed out that what they had witnessed was the result of a grossly unstable approach even though I had said "We can make it OK." The whole demonstration took five minutes. Opinions will vary but as far as I was concerned it was good value for money.
A picture is worth a thousand words and simulator instructors should have the confidence to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. They need to cut through political correctness and not be afraid to where necessary demonstrate a sequence to get a point across to the student. The students I was teaching were rote learners and they could recall perfectly all the elements of an unstable approach. But to actually witness these elements right through to its logical conclusion I hoped would fixate the result in their mind, regardless of cultural mores.
Apart from timorously warning the captain the approach is unstable, most culturally afflicted students would have no idea how to physically take over control from a captain intent on "making it OK". . As a last resort the PM could call "GO-AROUND - GEAR UP" and select the gear up without waiting for a reply from the captain. That should really focus his attention and force a go-around without the dangers inherent in a physical intervention.
Last edited by Tee Emm; 21st Aug 2020 at 13:58.