 |
37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Air carrier widebody transport held high on standard arrival due to small transport in pattern below. Widebody transport turned to base and visual approach 2000' high. Unstabilized approach resulted. Flight crew reported wind shear of increasing 10 KTS at 500'. Reporter states engines spun up at 700'.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 107848 |
| Time | |
| Date | 198904 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801 To 2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : smo airport : lax |
| State Reference | CA |
| Altitude | msl bound lower : 7000 msl bound upper : 7000 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | Widebody, Low Wing, 3 Turbojet Eng |
| Navigation In Use | Other |
| Flight Phase | descent : approach descent other landing other |
| Route In Use | approach : visual arrival star : star enroute : on vectors |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp pilot : flight engineer |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 220 flight time total : 8000 flight time type : 3000 |
| ASRS Report | 107848 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | inflight encounter other other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | flight crew : regained aircraft control |
| Consequence | Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Flight Crew Human Performance |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
| Situations | |
| ATC Facility | procedure or policy : unspecified |
| Airport | other physical facility |
Narrative:
While on descent and approach into lax (sadde 4) south of symon, approach cleared the aircraft direct to smo and descent to 10000'. Approach cleared the aircraft down to 7000' approximately abeam of bayst. Approach was too busy to provide any other clearance until approximately 6 DME east of smo. The crew assumed the intent was to turn to an 068 degree heading after sme and we followed that procedure. But the next altitude clearance (at 6 DME east of smo) was down to 5000'. Approach then cleared the aircraft to turn right to a heading of 140 degrees, then immediately thereafter cleared us for the visibility lax runway 24L. The altitude on base leg, just east of the harbor freeway, was approximately 5500'. This forced the crew to fly the aircraft unspooled and unstabilized down to approximately 700'. Reported winds at the airport were 260 degrees at 12. However, omega winds and winds at altitude were shown to be 015 degrees at approximately 35 KTS. The aircraft hit a 10 KT airspeed gain shear at approximately 500'. No advice of shear conditions were provided. We later learned approach restr our downwind altitude to 7000' in order to cross a commuter small transport below us with the intention of having our aircraft follow the small transport on a parallel visibility (our aircraft 24L, the other 24R). While the crew assumed that a shear conditions probably existed, approach control saturation, and their hopes that the crew could salvage the visibility approach, led to a situation in which the approach either had to be abandoned on base leg, or flown unstabilized. It required superior airmanship to complete the approach. No approach should require superior performance and a crew should not be put into a situation where approach stability is in question. Approach controllers should be trained and better familiar with the aircraft approach capabilities and what should be considered imitations on maximum altitudes on known types of approachs.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: ACR WDB HELD HIGH ON STANDARD ARR DUE TO SMT IN PATTERN BELOW. WDB TURNED TO BASE AND VISUAL APCH 2000' HIGH. UNSTABILIZED APCH RESULTED. FLT CREW REPORTED WIND SHEAR OF INCREASING 10 KTS AT 500'. REPORTER STATES ENGINES SPUN UP AT 700'.
Narrative: WHILE ON DSCNT AND APCH INTO LAX (SADDE 4) S OF SYMON, APCH CLRED THE ACFT DIRECT TO SMO AND DSCNT TO 10000'. APCH CLRED THE ACFT DOWN TO 7000' APPROX ABEAM OF BAYST. APCH WAS TOO BUSY TO PROVIDE ANY OTHER CLRNC UNTIL APPROX 6 DME E OF SMO. THE CREW ASSUMED THE INTENT WAS TO TURN TO AN 068 DEG HDG AFTER SME AND WE FOLLOWED THAT PROC. BUT THE NEXT ALT CLRNC (AT 6 DME E OF SMO) WAS DOWN TO 5000'. APCH THEN CLRED THE ACFT TO TURN RIGHT TO A HDG OF 140 DEGS, THEN IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER CLRED US FOR THE VIS LAX RWY 24L. THE ALT ON BASE LEG, JUST E OF THE HARBOR FREEWAY, WAS APPROX 5500'. THIS FORCED THE CREW TO FLY THE ACFT UNSPOOLED AND UNSTABILIZED DOWN TO APPROX 700'. RPTED WINDS AT THE ARPT WERE 260 DEGS AT 12. HOWEVER, OMEGA WINDS AND WINDS AT ALT WERE SHOWN TO BE 015 DEGS AT APPROX 35 KTS. THE ACFT HIT A 10 KT AIRSPD GAIN SHEAR AT APPROX 500'. NO ADVICE OF SHEAR CONDITIONS WERE PROVIDED. WE LATER LEARNED APCH RESTR OUR DOWNWIND ALT TO 7000' IN ORDER TO CROSS A COMMUTER SMT BELOW US WITH THE INTENTION OF HAVING OUR ACFT FOLLOW THE SMT ON A PARALLEL VIS (OUR ACFT 24L, THE OTHER 24R). WHILE THE CREW ASSUMED THAT A SHEAR CONDITIONS PROBABLY EXISTED, APCH CTL SATURATION, AND THEIR HOPES THAT THE CREW COULD SALVAGE THE VIS APCH, LED TO A SITUATION IN WHICH THE APCH EITHER HAD TO BE ABANDONED ON BASE LEG, OR FLOWN UNSTABILIZED. IT REQUIRED SUPERIOR AIRMANSHIP TO COMPLETE THE APCH. NO APCH SHOULD REQUIRE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND A CREW SHOULD NOT BE PUT INTO A SITUATION WHERE APCH STABILITY IS IN QUESTION. APCH CTLRS SHOULD BE TRAINED AND BETTER FAMILIAR WITH THE ACFT APCH CAPABILITIES AND WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IMITATIONS ON MAX ALTS ON KNOWN TYPES OF APCHS.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.