Posted on 04/19/2020 6:00:26 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Investigators have determined that an Emirates Airbus A380 descended far below the glideslope at Moscow Domodedovo after its crew entered a rapid descent, erroneously believing the jet was too high for the correct approach path.
It descended to 504ft above ground – with a rate of descent of 1,600ft/min – while still some 7.4nm from the threshold of runway 14R, in darkness, before the crew executed a go-around.
The A380 lost a further 109ft, dipping to just 395ft, before climbing away, the aircraft’s ground-proximity warning system having sounded ‘terrain’ and ‘pull up’ alerts.
This instrument reading had been false, because the aircraft was still outside of the zone of reliability for ILS signals and, as a result, was receiving noisy and inaccurate ILS data.
Investigators state that the crew also subsequently aborted a second approach before the aircraft landed on its third attempt.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
@395 AGL
Altitude is your friend!
Airbus relies on lots of technology and the A380 is a almost fly-by-itself aircraft. Something sounds really off about this. Makes me wonder if one pilot was in controlled the other had to take over to avert a crash.
Lucky for them, it’s dead ass flat on the approach to DME.
The A380 lost a further 109ft, dipping to just 395ft, before climbing away, the aircraft’s ground-proximity warning system having sounded ‘terrain’ and ‘pull up’ alerts.
...
Back in the days before that safety feature, they would have crashed.
For all airframes, it is no less sad and no less tragic that most aircraft involved in accidents are outside of the US, and are overwhelming piloted by non US crews, for what ever reasons.
Accident histories for airframes are posted on line.
As I remember it, nothing good ever happens in Russian airspace...
Sounds like a pilot was pushing down...The other took over. the A380 has so muchtlech that you would be required to override lots of stuff to do this.
Side note: Boeing must be happy to not-be-the-last-tech-problem.
The wing span is only 282 feet.
Horie Krap!
Wow... In direct accordance with the plot of one of the Die Hard movies. (Right?)
I always said that a good instrument approach/landing is made or screwed up 3 miles outside the marker.
In a light twin, at 3 miles outside the marker the aircraft should be established at the proper altitude for intercept, exactly at approach speed. Power set, props set, flaps at approach setting, lights extended... check list complete except for gear down so that all that remains at the marker is to drop the gear and slide right down the glide slope.
Too high, too hot mixed with wind shear or turbulence and things can get too exciting.
With a jet, all of the above is even more important (minus setting the props).
Wonder what the actual weather conditions were. Did they miss the second attempt because they were too shook up or was the weather below minimums. Either would have a lot to say about their competence.
That will leave some skid marks. In your pants.
I got a kick out of your cartoon.
I have my own version of that.
Years ago I was flying a customer home from a sales trip. He lived in an area known for its lakes...TVA area in east TN.
It was about 11:00 PM but a beautiful dark night.
We were pretty close to his home airport descending through as I recall 6,500 when we heard a loud bang behind the cabin.
I looked over my shoulder at the fellow sitting behind me thinking to ask him if he had dropped something on the floor but he beat me to it and said “It wasn’t me”.
So knowing the habits of ducks and geese, I said that it must have been a duck.
The fellow sitting beside me, a great friend and customer but always tried to keep me on the defensive said “How do you know it was a duck”?.
To which I replied:
“Well if it isn’t a duck, we sure are f**ked up.”
Silence from there to the ramp.
A quick look with the flashlight....blood on the vertical stabilizer.
At least the crew heeded the GPWS alerts and acted on them. Listen to the CVR of Flying Tiger 66 and it’s absolutely amazing how alert after alert was ignored. Someone eventually wised up, but it was too late. You hear someone say “S**t!” a moment before impact. No survivors.
Wow, this shows crew incompetence at so many levels, including company SOPs.
The official altitude of Moscow is 512 feet; parts of the city are as high as 837 feet.
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