Increasing SOP Compliance

In the era where increased incidents and accidents are attributed to flight crew non-adherence to procedures, what can be done to ensure increased SOP compliance?

Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) are a critical component in flight operations and in improving the flight safety. They are intended as a guard against operational errors and help elevate crew performance leading to safe operation of a flight.

AIRCRAFT GO-AROUND MANEUVER

One question that is frequently asked in aviation circles about piloting issue is as to why a go-around was not carried out when the approach was unstable.

 Looking at the data that is out there, the stats point out that only 2-3% of the unstabilised approaches end in a go-around.Well then, the questions that are being asked about go-arounds seem justified and needs an in-depth look at various facets as to why it is so.

What is it that makes a well trained and proficient crew shy away from conducting a go-around on the approach when it is required so??

ILS Signal Interference

 

Recently a commercial large jet was cleared for an ILS approach to Runway 28 at Chicago O’Hare airport. While inbound to intercept the Glide slope, the cockpit indications were initially full up. Abruptly the display changed from full up to full down position and the aircraft pitched down and descended to stay on the glide slope. The pilot reacted to disconnect the autopilot, but not before the aircraft had descended a 100 ft. The display restored to full up deflection soon thereafter.

 This anomaly was most likely caused by disruption of the Glide slope signals caused by a large cargo aircraft holding for take-off. ATC controller had advised the crew of this aircraft that they were not required to protect the ILS critical area.

EMAS: Engineered Material Arresting System

Aircraft overruns during landing and take-off are a frequent occurrence and statistically are the fourth largest cause of airline fatalities. . An overrun occurs when an aircraft passes beyond the end of a runway during an aborted take-off or while landing. To minimize the hazards of overruns, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) incorporated the concept of a safety area beyond the runway end into airport design standards.  However, there are many runways, where natural obstacles, local development and other constraints make the construction of the RESA impracticable. Recognising the difficulty associated with accomplishing RESA without compromising the performance capability of a runway, research programmes were initiated to find alternate and effective arresting solutions.

A380 PUSHING TECHNICAL BOUNDARIES

Airbus has always been at the forefront of pushing technical boundaries in aviation and excelling in aircraft design and technology. Airbus says efforts to lower the weight of the world's largest airliner lay behind recent A380 wing cracks and pledged to learn from mistakes that lay dormant for a decade, as repair costs looked set to climb towards 500 million euros ($A642 million).