Narrative:

My student and I were flying an small aircraft X to allow him to practice touch and goes. On our first approach, we were too high and too fast (75 KTS) to safely make the landing due to the fact that we turned our base leg too close to the runway. In the interest of safety, it was my student's judgement to execute a balked landing procedure. At approximately 100' AGL and 1000' past the approach end of runway 11, he retracted the flaps which increased his airspeed to 80-85 KTS. He maintained level flight at approximately 50-100' above the runway centerline (in order to maintain visibility contact with the small aircraft Y traffic climbing slowly on the upwind) to a few hundred ft before the departure end of the runway. We stayed low in order to maintain visibility contact. At a normal climb attitude our nose would have been too high to maintain contact with our traffic. Once our traffic turned to his left crosswind, my student, at the departure end of the runway, pitched up at a slightly higher pitch attitude than normal climb attitude (to bleed our airspeed from 80-85 KTS to 65 KTS) and added full power to climb to pattern altitude. Once he achieved 65 KTS, I then lowered the nose to a normal climb attitude to prevent any further loss of airspeed and to prevent a stall. Since we were closing on our traffic, we did a right 270 degree turn (for safe spacing) to the crosswind. We then flew a normal left hand pattern, landed on runway 11 and merritt island and hangared the plane. I feel the situation occurred because we made a poor final approach and were closing on slower traffic. To prevent a collision, we stayed lower, over the runway (where there are no obstructions) to maintain visibility contact until it was safe to climb straight ahead. The excessive pitch up attitude was an overcompensation for excessive airspeed and was remedied by me, the instrument. I lowered the nose to a normal climb attitude to maintain a safe airspeed. The 270 degree right turn was to provide adequate and safe spacing from our traffic. We attempted at all costs to avoid a collision of any kind and we terminated our flight early, to discuss the turn of events. My suggestion to prevent a recurrence would be to emphasize to students the importance of good planning for an approach to landing.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: UNCONTROLLED ARPT TRAFFIC PATTERN DEVIATION.

Narrative: MY STUDENT AND I WERE FLYING AN SMA X TO ALLOW HIM TO PRACTICE TOUCH AND GOES. ON OUR FIRST APCH, WE WERE TOO HIGH AND TOO FAST (75 KTS) TO SAFELY MAKE THE LNDG DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE TURNED OUR BASE LEG TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, IT WAS MY STUDENT'S JUDGEMENT TO EXECUTE A BALKED LNDG PROC. AT APPROX 100' AGL AND 1000' PAST THE APCH END OF RWY 11, HE RETRACTED THE FLAPS WHICH INCREASED HIS AIRSPD TO 80-85 KTS. HE MAINTAINED LEVEL FLT AT APPROX 50-100' ABOVE THE RWY CTRLINE (IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN VIS CONTACT WITH THE SMA Y TFC CLBING SLOWLY ON THE UPWIND) TO A FEW HUNDRED FT BEFORE THE DEP END OF THE RWY. WE STAYED LOW IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN VIS CONTACT. AT A NORMAL CLB ATTITUDE OUR NOSE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO HIGH TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WITH OUR TFC. ONCE OUR TFC TURNED TO HIS L XWIND, MY STUDENT, AT THE DEP END OF THE RWY, PITCHED UP AT A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PITCH ATTITUDE THAN NORMAL CLB ATTITUDE (TO BLEED OUR AIRSPD FROM 80-85 KTS TO 65 KTS) AND ADDED FULL PWR TO CLB TO PATTERN ALT. ONCE HE ACHIEVED 65 KTS, I THEN LOWERED THE NOSE TO A NORMAL CLB ATTITUDE TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER LOSS OF AIRSPD AND TO PREVENT A STALL. SINCE WE WERE CLOSING ON OUR TFC, WE DID A R 270 DEG TURN (FOR SAFE SPACING) TO THE XWIND. WE THEN FLEW A NORMAL L HAND PATTERN, LANDED ON RWY 11 AND MERRITT ISLAND AND HANGARED THE PLANE. I FEEL THE SITUATION OCCURRED BECAUSE WE MADE A POOR FINAL APCH AND WERE CLOSING ON SLOWER TFC. TO PREVENT A COLLISION, WE STAYED LOWER, OVER THE RWY (WHERE THERE ARE NO OBSTRUCTIONS) TO MAINTAIN VIS CONTACT UNTIL IT WAS SAFE TO CLB STRAIGHT AHEAD. THE EXCESSIVE PITCH UP ATTITUDE WAS AN OVERCOMPENSATION FOR EXCESSIVE AIRSPD AND WAS REMEDIED BY ME, THE INSTR. I LOWERED THE NOSE TO A NORMAL CLB ATTITUDE TO MAINTAIN A SAFE AIRSPD. THE 270 DEG R TURN WAS TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE AND SAFE SPACING FROM OUR TFC. WE ATTEMPTED AT ALL COSTS TO AVOID A COLLISION OF ANY KIND AND WE TERMINATED OUR FLT EARLY, TO DISCUSS THE TURN OF EVENTS. MY SUGGESTION TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE WOULD BE TO EMPHASIZE TO STUDENTS THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD PLANNING FOR AN APCH TO LNDG.

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.