Sun, Dec 03, 2006
Irish AAIU Says Crew 'Marginally Avoided' Ground Impact
A Ryanair flight crew descended over
well below minimums on approach to Knock Airport last March in what
investigators are calling a "serious incident."
In a report released yesterday, Ireland's Air Accident
Investigation Unit (AAIU) said in part, "The captain and flight
officer were so engrossed in trying to re-program the
[aircraft’s computer] that they both lost their critical
situational awareness for a time."
The crew had originally flight planned to fly the NDB approach
to runway 09 at Knock, but the NDB was inoperative.
With the NDB approach to runway 09 at Knock Airport unavailable,
ATC cleared the crew to use the ILS to 27 and circle to land on
09.
Decision height for the ILS to runway 27 is 200 feet,
but the minimum altitude for circling is 1,300 feet. The
reports says the crew abandoned the approach at 410 feet. During
the approach, the flight recorders showed the aircraft descending
at up to 2,200 feet per minute.
Contributing factors to the incident according to the report
were uncertainty by the crew of the weather at Knock making
uncertain the choice of runways, and the unavailability of several
navigational aids because of maintenance.
The report also says the crew were inputting information on a
recently commissioned nav aid not in the aircraft's computer.
According to the report, "The work overload meant that normal
routine checks were not carried out and there was no questioning of
the developing situation by either pilot."
Aside from blasting the crew, the report also slammed Ryanair
for not reporting the incident until 12 days afterwards. The report
called the lapse "unacceptable" and contrary to aviation
regulations.
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