AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2020 - 99

down at less than 500 feet agl. Suddenly it
appeared to snap roll all the way around and
recover upright. I was looking into the morning sun and did not have an ideal view but I
believe that the aircraft continued in a roll to
the left. The maneuver happened extremely
quickly-literally in the blink of an eye.
It had happened so quickly that I was, at
that point, not sure what to make of it all, only
that I was in a descending attitude on a northbound heading and that if I did not initiate a
pull-up, I would make ground contact. With
ample speed in hand, about 170, I started a
climbing westbound turn for an upwind leg
while I contemplated my course of action.
I reentered the downwind with substantially more distance from the runway.
This time the pattern reflected the speed
at which I was flying the NXT and the turn
from base to final was made at a comfortable bank angle and speed. Once properly
stabilized, the NXT flew like it was on rails.
There was a bit of a south wind, so I touched
down left wing low as I wheeled the little
racer onto the ground.
Shortly after securing the aircraft, we
were in contact with Sharp, who was gracious enough to forgive me my transgressions
and the fact that I had almost destroyed his
wonderful creation. Sharp went on to offer a
five-page explanation absolving me of blame,
but I knew better. The fault was entirely mine.
The takeaways from this incident are
many, but mostly the recognition of how
easily one can allow the deck to be stacked
against oneself. It's important to reflect on
the various types of risks: identifiable; acceptable; unacceptable; and, most important,
unidentified. Remembering that uncertainty
is always there hovering over the horizon,
awaiting the arrival of the unsuspecting pilot
who has allowed his or her situational awareness to go by the wayside and for unidentified
risk to enter the equation.
I have found the episode humbling-a
stark reminder of what a lack of attention to
detail can lead to. Reality had returned with
soul-searing clarity. I had violated a number
of tenets, those irrefutable physics of flight
and aerodynamics that cannot be violated,
and yet I had lived to tell the tale. AOPA

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W.G. HILL is a glider instructor at New

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909 305-9399

178 East Arrow Highway, San Dimas, CA 91773

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2020

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