[Peetwo]

To investigate or not to investigate? - that is the question.

Last Friday at 01:52 EST an incident was reported to the ATSB that apparently they will be investigating??  

Flight below lowest safe altitude involving Boeing 737, VH-XMO at Launceston Airport, Tasmania on 17 June 2016
 
Investigation number: AO-2016-061
Investigation status: Active
 

• Summary
  

Summary
The ATSB is investigating the flight below lowest safe altitude involving Boeing 737, registered VH-XMO at Launceston Airport, Tasmania on 17 June 2016.

While conducting the runway 32 ILS published missed approach procedure, the aircraft diverted off the published heading and flew below the lowest safe altitude.

As part of the investigation, the ATSB will interview the flight crew and gather additional information, including recorded data, as required.
 
General details

General details Date: 17 Jun 2016
 
Investigation status: Active
 
Time: 01:52 EST
 
Investigation type: Occurrence Investigation
 
Location   (show map): Launceston Airport
 
Occurrence type: Flight below minimum altitude
 
State: Tasmania
 
Occurrence class: Operational
 
Occurrence category: Incident
 
Report status: Pending
 
Highest injury level: None
 
Expected completion: Jun 2017 
 
Aircraft details

Aircraft manufacturer: The Boeing Company
 
Aircraft model: 737-376
 
Aircraft registration: VH-XMO
 
Serial number: 23488
 
Operator: Express Freighters Australia
 
Type of operation: Air Transport High Capacity
 
Sector: Jet
 
Damage to aircraft: Nil
 
Departure point: Melbourne, Vic.
Destination: Launceston, Tas.
 
 
 


Last update 17 June 2016

However there is a couple of points with this incident that are more than passing strange??

To begin the statement that this was a flight below 'lower safe altitude' is misleading as every IFR qualified pilot knows the missed approach procedure for all IAPs is contained within the 25nm (or defined distance) Minimum Sector Altitude. Which for the sector that the 32 ILS missed approach heading of 313° is contained is 3,200 feet - see here.

"..the aircraft diverted off the published heading.."  -  According to the approach plate if this was to be a problem (i.e. outside acceptable 'legal' tolerances) then the aircraft must have been deviated to the next MSA sector (R330° to R050° at MSA 5800').

If this was what occurred then from my interpretation this should automatically have defined this incident as 'serious', however from the ATSB record this does not appear to be the case:

Occurrence category: Incident

 
Therefore one has to question why the ATSB is investigating this incident?

Just surmising but perhaps there is a TASWAM element in this incident, see HERE. 

Just saying -

Update 22/06/16: From that happy little chappy from Tassie, courtesy the Oz...

Low-level plane in ‘lucky escape’

• Matthew Denholm
  
• The Australian
  
• 12:00AM June 22, 2016
  

Only luck prevented tragedy when a Qantas-owned plane ­allegedly missed its approach at Launceston Airport and flew below the level needed to avoid colliding with high ground, ­aviation ­experts say.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident in which a Boeing 737-376, operated by Qantas ­subsidiary Express Freighters ­Australia, flew “below lowest safe altitude” just before 2am on Friday.

Veteran aviators Dick Smith and Byron Bailey told The Australian they believed the incident could easily have ended in tragedy and high­lighted the need for greater use of radar to guide planes at regional airports.

“The aircraft diverted off the published heading and flew below the lowest safe altitude,” the ATSB says. “… the ATSB will interview the flight crew and gather additional information, including recorded data.”

According to flight tracker website FlightAware.com, Friday morning’s flight left Melbourne at 12.55am. It appears the aircraft aborted a landing at Launceston, flying as low as 1100 feet at 215km/h at about 1.45am, before increasing power and speed to return to a higher altitude. Once back at 7300ft, at 1.51am, the aircraft was “div­erted”, probably by radar control in Melbourne, and climbed to 34,000ft before descending for what appears to be a second ­attempt a landing — this time successfully — at 2.38am.

Mr Bailey, a commercial pilot for 45 years who has trained Royal Australian Air Force ­pilots, said the pilot had been lucky not to crash into high ground. “It is very, very serious to deviate from your missed ­approach procedure because it is designed to get you to avoid any high terrain and get you to safe altitude,” he said. “So if you deviate from that, you are running a serious risk of crashing.”

At Launceston, as at many ­regional airports, during the day local air traffic tower controllers provide “procedural separation”, relying largely on radio and ­visual contact.

When the tower is closed, Melbourne radar centre provides assistance, but ­Mr ­Bailey said this was generally only down to about 6000ft.

“Everybody makes mistakes … and to suggest that below 6000ft the pilot should be totally on his own with no help is not a good look,” Mr Bailey said.

Airservices Australia said the aircraft was “under the control of Melbourne air traffic controllers at all times” and was shown on radar screens.

“Air traffic control noticed the deviation and ­issued a safety alert and instructions to the flight crew to resolve the situation,” a spokesman said.

However, Mr Smith said it ­appeared too little had changed since a “near miss” of two passenger jets at Launceston in 2008, when both missed their ­approaches in heavy fog after the control tower had closed.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Airservices Australia are each reviewing elements of Tasmania’s airspace, following concerns about the state’s radar system and in light of rapid passenger growth.

Qantas last night suggested its crew had followed correct procedures after missing the ­approach to the runway in fog.

“The procedures for the missed approach were followed correctly,” a Qantas spokesman said. “At no point did any of the onboard warning systems on the aircraft trigger an alert to the crew. We are working with the ATSB to assist with the investigation.”

 

For those interested here is the Flight Aware link for the flight tracking (profile) of VH-XMO:

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/VHXM...T/tracklog

&..

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/VHXM.../YMML/YMLT
   

MTF...P2