On descent bound for Nantes, the co-pilot in LIFUS training reminded the instructor captain TRI of his difficulties with flaring and his apprehension about not reproducing the same type of rough landing as the one carried out the previous day on runway 21 at Nantes. These threats were not taken up by the instructor. The visual perception caused by the upward-sloping part of the runway and the stress linked to the difficulty of landing at Nantes were not the subject of any particular management strategy on the part of the instructor.
The moment at which automated systems would be disconnected was not discussed either at that point. During the approach, at around 2, ft, the co-pilot announced to the instructor that he would disconnect the automated systems at an altitude of 2, ft, i. It is possible that the instructor let the co-pilot proceed as he wished to help him regain confidence. The approach was stabilised, the co-pilot held the descent slope following the PAPI indications, and the speed remained close to the reference approach speed.
After crossing the threshold of runway 21, the aeroplane first flew over the downward-sloping part of the runway. The aeroplane then began to fly over the upward-sloping part of the runway. It is very likely that the late flare resulted from an erroneous perception of the final part of the approach slope due to the upward slope of the runway and to the fact that until reaching a low height, the two pilots were mainly focused on holding the runway axis.
The effect the runway characteristics downward and then upward-sloping had on the synthetic-voice height callouts did not help the co-pilot to start the flare and reduce thrust early enough, given the upward slope before the hump.
Moreover, the instructor did not consider taking the controls during the flare, and very probably did not have the time to do so. The touchdown of the main landing gear on the upward-sloping part of the runway was hard, with a recorded normal load factor of 2. The spoilers deployed, then the aeroplane bounced. The strength of the impact on landing and the bounce surprised the two crew members. The nose and right main landing gear touched the runway simultaneously.
