Approach and Landing Accidents
Reducing the Risk
Presented by
Bryan W. Neville
Aviation Safety Inspector
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Risk Awareness
 The key is Understanding
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Types of Accidents
 CFIT
– Mountains/Hills
 Landing Long
 Landing Short
 Landing Hard
 Runway Excursions
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Causal Factors
 1. Omission of Action or Inappropriate Action by the Flight Crew

(1. For Air Carriers: “Poor Professional
Judgment”)
 2. Lack of Positional Awareness-Horizontal
 3. Failure to Crosscheck and Coordinate
 4. Lack of Positional Awareness-Vertical
 5. Poor Aircraft Handling
 6. Slowed/Delayed Crew Action
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Risk Awareness
 Flight Crew
 Airport Services and Equipment
 Approach
 Go-around
 Environment
 Aircraft Equipment
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Flight Crew
 Duty Period
– Reduced Alertness
– Fatigue
 Flight Hours
– Sedentary Activity
 Number in Crew
– Single Pilot
– Two Pilot
– Additional Crewmembers
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Crew Briefing
 Single Pilot
– Say it out loud!
 Single Pilot with Passenger(s)
 Two Pilot
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Airport Services and Equipment
 Approach Radar Service
– Minimum Vectoring Altitude
 Tower Service
– “I’m unfamiliar with the area”
 Local Weather Report
– Operating at the Time of Arrival
– AWOS/ASOS/ATIS/Observer
 Familiar/Unfamiliar Airport
– Physical Situation
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Airport Services and Equipment
 Familiar/Unfamiliar Procedures
– Landmarks/Obstruction Avoidance/Noise
 Approach and Runway Lights
– Review AIM
 Approach Slope Guidance
– VASI
– PAPI
– ILS
 Foreign Destination
– Language
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Approach
 Visual Approach
– Day vs. Night
 Nonprecision Approach
– Step-down Fixes
– Circling Procedure
 Runway Change
 No Published STAR
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Go-around
 Go-around
– Terminating an approach to land, for any reason
 Missed Approach
– Termination of an Instrument Approach
 Rejected Landing
– Terminating an approach to land, after the crew has made the decision to land
 Rejected Landing with Power at Idle
 Balked Landing
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Environment
 Terrain
– Mountainous
– Hilly
– Flat, but Sloping
 Lots of Lights
 Lack of Lights
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Environment
 Visibility Restrictions
– Darkness
– Fog
– Haze
– IMC
– Low Light (No Moon)
– Mist
– Smoke
– Looking into the Sun
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Environment
 Visual Illusions
– “Black Hole”
– Sloping Terrain
– Wet Runway
– Whiteout/Snow
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Environment
 Wind Conditions
– Crosswind
– Gusts
– Tailwind
– Wind Shear
– Microburst
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Environment
 Runway Conditions
– Ice
– Slush
– Snow
– Water
 Cold Temperature Effects
– True Altitude lower than Indicated Altitude
 Density Altitude
– Turns to Final
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Aircraft Equipment
 GPWS/EGPWS/GCAS/TAWS
 Radio Altimeter
– Always set 200 Feet or Higher
 TCAS
 Wind Shear Warning System
 Altimeter
 Vertical Speed Indicator
 GPS/Moving Maps
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Summary
 Almost all Approach and Landing
Accidents are Pilot Induced.
 Almost all Approach and Landing
Accidents are Preventable.
 Pilots should remember that all flights end with the aircraft touching the ground.
– How they touch is up to the pilot!
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Any Questions?
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