TIGER FLIGHT HAD WRONG DATABASE INFO: ATSB
AAP
July 7, 2011, 3:48 pm
A Tiger Airways plane flew too low into Melbourne Airport after it used a navigational database containing the wrong descent altitude, an investigation has found.
The June 7 flight was the first of two incidents where Tiger pilots flew below the lowest safe altitude into Melbourne airports last month, contributing to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounding the airline.
A preliminary investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) indicates the error was due to an incorrect lowest descent altitude in the commercial navigational database.
The ATSB's report, released on Thursday, said the flight crew did not initially notice that the altitude displayed in front of them was 500 feet below what they'd been cleared to fly.
Air traffic control had cleared the Airbus A320 to approach runway 27 at Melbourne Airport at 2500 feet.
"The investigation established that the navigational database that was current for the flight included a lowest descent altitude for the Melbourne ARBEY ONE ALPHA runway 27 arrival of 2000 feet," the report said.
After referring to the relevant instrument navigation charts, the pilots had entered data into the flight management guidance and envelope system (FMGS) and then checked the planned approach against paper charts.
"The flight crew did not notice that the documented arrival procedure had a lowest descent altitude of 2500 feet, while the data from the FMGS's navigational database that was displayed on the MCDU (multifunction control and display unit) had a lowest descent altitude of 2000 feet."
The pilot set the altitude on the flight control unit to 2000 feet.
It was as the plane was descending from 2500 to 2000 feet that one of the pilots queried the altitude on the unit and checked it against that in the MCDU.
As the plane was approaching 2000 feet, air traffic control told the flight crew they should be at 2500 feet.
The plane climbed to that level and landed safely.
The ATSB is still investigating the other incident involving a Tiger flight, which occurred on approach into Avalon airport late last Thursday night.
AAP
July 7, 2011, 3:48 pm
A Tiger Airways plane flew too low into Melbourne Airport after it used a navigational database containing the wrong descent altitude, an investigation has found.
The June 7 flight was the first of two incidents where Tiger pilots flew below the lowest safe altitude into Melbourne airports last month, contributing to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounding the airline.
A preliminary investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) indicates the error was due to an incorrect lowest descent altitude in the commercial navigational database.
The ATSB's report, released on Thursday, said the flight crew did not initially notice that the altitude displayed in front of them was 500 feet below what they'd been cleared to fly.
Air traffic control had cleared the Airbus A320 to approach runway 27 at Melbourne Airport at 2500 feet.
"The investigation established that the navigational database that was current for the flight included a lowest descent altitude for the Melbourne ARBEY ONE ALPHA runway 27 arrival of 2000 feet," the report said.
After referring to the relevant instrument navigation charts, the pilots had entered data into the flight management guidance and envelope system (FMGS) and then checked the planned approach against paper charts.
"The flight crew did not notice that the documented arrival procedure had a lowest descent altitude of 2500 feet, while the data from the FMGS's navigational database that was displayed on the MCDU (multifunction control and display unit) had a lowest descent altitude of 2000 feet."
The pilot set the altitude on the flight control unit to 2000 feet.
It was as the plane was descending from 2500 to 2000 feet that one of the pilots queried the altitude on the unit and checked it against that in the MCDU.
As the plane was approaching 2000 feet, air traffic control told the flight crew they should be at 2500 feet.
The plane climbed to that level and landed safely.
The ATSB is still investigating the other incident involving a Tiger flight, which occurred on approach into Avalon airport late last Thursday night.
