Aircraft abruptly rolls to the left near landing? Why?

[KL Oo 695]

Hey guys,

 

This is a strange problem I've only just started noticing. On approach, in fact on a close final to landing at some airports, my aircraft will bank sharply to the left and becomes uncontrollable. When I say it banks, I mean it goes from straight and level to about 60 or 70 degree bank in about 2 seconds without any input from the control column. The aircrafts yoke does NOT move when it happens and any attempts to control the aircraft with yoke fail to effect the aircraft.

 

Whats strange is that it only happens when within around 300 feet of the ground and I've only had it happen at a few airports. It does it frequently at FDTS KJFK and occasionally at Aerosofts ENGM.

 

I've troubleshooted if its my Saitek yoke but thats not the problem. I've tried disabling ASE to see if it was some sort of weather related thing but that doesn't solve it either.

 

It only happens in the NGX, but that said I only really fly the NGX. Won't happen all the time but probably around 20%.

 

I don't know if its scenery related or something else. Before I completely rip my hair out, does anybody have any ideas or has anybody seen this sort of thing in the past?

 

Any advice is MUCH appreciated!

 

Cheers,

[Kosta 122]

Not real solution, but I suggest you start troubleshooting... other aircraft maybe, check that you have all software updates, close and disable weather alltogether etc.

 

I can vaguely remember there might have been similar topics in the past, I suggest you try searching for them.

[Rocky_53 1,566]

It sounds to me like it may be closely associated with real weather. I can remember having a similar issue with real wind and a setting in FSUIPC some time back, unfortunately I can't remember what the casue was in detail, only that it was associated with what I have described. It may well be something completely different, but I thought I'd mention it all the same.

[Kaly 22]

Any advice is MUCH appreciated!

 

Could be a bad afcad at those particular airports.

 

One other thing that may work,is to run the Flight1 registry repair tool located here:

 

http://www.flight1.com/view.asp?page=library

 

This has solved this issue for many others experiencing similar anomalies.

 

Hope this helps.

[xplanery 250]

Does this look any similar?:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9AJqKx7gY8

 

I made that video really long time ago when I had this same problem, and yeah my approach is horrible, I wasn't that good back in 2009...

 

Basically at least this bug I encountered and have encountered few times later too seems to be caused by AI that has recently flew near the point where you are making your approach.

 

This bug seems to happen especially if you approach runway where AI airplane has taken off from another direction short time ago, in this case TU-154 had taken off from opposite direction. This happened to me again when I was taking off from runway where another aircraft had taken off from another direction bit earlier, though that time it didn't last as long. Actually I am not sure if this has ever happened to me without some AI being taking off / landing from opposite direction before me, usually I have no problem.

 

So if you use AI try to disable it for few flights and see if it doesn't happen after that.

[RWFeldman 159]

A.I. wake turbulance?

[Sekstifire 10]

Does sound like ASE wake turbulence.

[xplanery 250]

Yeah it could be default FSX wake turbulence effect actually, it is not related to ASE I believe as it has happened with default FSX weather theme with ASE off. However it doesn't seem to work too well as you can fly just behind AI aircraft for long time with no trouble, at least to me it happens only when AI aircraft goes to opposite direction from me and I then hit its path.

[duckbilled 310]

FWIW, I had the same problem a few years ago. Uncheking wake turbulence in Active Sky did the trick and I have not experienced it again.

 

I can't say whether it is included on the FSX weather because I have not used it years.

[ailchim 206]

This may sound stupid, but before you try complicated investigations, check your joystick axis assignments.

 

Not that I'm admitting anything, but if hypothetically, somebody had switched from a jet to a turboprop, and in the process assigning his [or her] joystick throttle 2 from right engine throttle to prop condition, he [or she] might have reassigned it back not to the right engine throttle but to the roll axis........

[Timmer 2]

I've had similar happen with ASE and seen it on default FSX installations. It can be quite annoying especially after a long flight that ends in an unavoidable roll on landing. I've had it happen on the small A2A Cub to PDGM airliners.

 

Luckily, I haven't had this happen in a long time, I think since I installed FSUIPC and the other install that has no weather has only had it a couple times and not enough to try trouble-shooting.

 

I wish I had more information to share.

[Paul J 349]

+1 for wake turbulence. Turn it off in any app that has it turned on.

 

Edit: I did a search on the REX site and in the Essentials User Manual for Wake Turbulence, and although it was mentioned by at least three posters - there was no definitive response from Tim, and I can't find any reference in the Essentials setup like there is in ASE. I know that - if Wake Turbulence is turned 'on' in ASE it will pop you inverted in the blink of an eye!

[AWW_22 0]

This used to happen to me with fair frequency as well - exactly as it appears in your video. Now I'm not sure that this is 100% definitively the answer to the problem but I don't seem to have the problem any longer.

I searched the forums, googled it, just couldn't find any reference to or think of why I was getting that landing approach crash problem on such a seemingly random basis. (Seemed to happen to me say, every 10th landing or so over a 4 or 5 month period.)

After one particularly frustrating crash one day, it occurred to me - was I somehow inadvertently providing cross-control inputs on some approaches? That is, say a little too much right rudder while simultaneously banking left (or vice versa) trying to get lined up with the runway?

All I know is now that I have this thought in mind on every approach I make, to watch out for cross-controlling - the landing roll and crash just flat out no longer happens.

Just a mention of what seems to have worked for me If you're using rudder controls of any kind...

Good luck.

[KL Oo 695]

Wow, thanks for the all the replies guys!

 

FSCamp ; That's the exact problem I'm having. Often at a higher altitude than you are in that video, but still, the same thing.

 

I hadn't really considered wake turbulence simply because I didn't notice myself approaching behind any other aircraft, but the more I think about it the more I think this might be the problem.

 

I do like the idea of experiencing wake turbulence (in a moderate perhaps more realistic form) but obviously don't want to become inverted in the blink of any eye. I seem to recall that there might be some functions of FSUIPC that can control/disable such dramatic effects so I'll have to check those out.

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll try some of them out today!

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

Kael,

 

Something else that could be causing it as well if you have already tried disabling wake turbulence and still have the issue, is to try turning off the default thermals in FSX. Along time ago I was having a similar issue when approach the easterly facing runways and KPHX and the southern facing runways at KDAL. As soon as I would get to about 300-500 feet from touch down the a/c would react funny and almost out of control and always in the same exact spot. Once I disabled the thermals if fixed that problem.