Had some extra time on a T-7 sim after a fairly straight forward LOFT session with 2 guys who did really well ( eventhough it's still January they might already had tips about the LOFT scenarios! ). Decided to use the extra time for " SPOT " exercise. Gave them a simple Cat 3 B approach ( with Cat 2 visibility minimums programmed ) with a loss of ND on PM ( first officer's )side; the crew was sharp, continued approach with ND selected on lower MFD.
As our sim had no facility to simulate a scalloping localizer, I programmed in a low level gust of crosswind at 50' AGL. After flare engaged, the aircraft ( sim ) drifted off the centerline, the two very sharp guys were suddenly caught out. I guessed there must have been a lag in the crosswind gust kicking in as the touchdown occurred outside the runway! The PM attempted a balked landing but like the SQ crew, he commanded the normal go around procedures, i.e TOGA, Flaps 20, etc. He did push the thrust levers up, but a quick disconnect of the autopilot and a hasty pitch up caused a tail strike as he flew away.
They came back for an uneventful Cat 1 landing after all the checklist for the tailstrike was accomplished ( they did this admirably ). At the debrief I showed them that during the Cat 3 balked landing, they had taken out some HIRLs and the transmissometers.
They looked utterly chastitized; I then explained to them that I was simulating the SQ B777-300ER incident at EDDM. They then understood how that in a short few seconds things could really go pear shape despite how good one thought one could be. The captain confessed to being quite judgemental about the SQ crew's performance until this exercise!
In my years of conducting sim training and checks, I have seen many many amazing incidences where crews got caught out and I have also had an amazing number of times where crews managed to pull off admirable performances. Many a times, poor management of the automatics led to things going awry, especially when one was too fixated on a task at hand.
Last edited by SpaceNeedle; 1st Feb 2012 at 16:43.