AI314 19Oct18 DEL-HKG 200ft AGL 2.6nm short of runway

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1)At least the pilots managed to go around bottoming out at 200ft vertical after the ground proximity warning went off.

2)Sounds like VMC (visual meteorological conditions) at HKG (edited from PVG)
ILS glideslope reported to be “fluctuating” but aircraft cleared for ILS landing.

3) Rule of thumb of 300 ft vertical per 1nm from runway threshold suggests they should have been approx 800ft at 2.6nm

What would be the reason for not turning off the GS which then would result in VFR only approach?

What alternatives are there to the ILS glideslope?
 
Last edited:
Serious incident indeed, as per the report title.
200ft AMSL at 2.6Nm out, that was close.

What was the reference to PVG about, didn't catch your meaning

Interesting report, thanks for sharing.
 

1)At least the pilots managed to go around bottoming out at 200ft vertical after the ground proximity warning went off.

10 km vis, and they needed the GPWS to tell them something was wrong. Not really all that different to Asiana. Also a 787, and if I’m not mistaken (I’ll check with a friend who flies them), the HUD projects a synthetic runway onto the display. Zero excuse.

2)Sounds like VMC (visual meteorological conditions) at HKG (edited from PVG)
ILS glideslope reported to be “fluctuating” but aircraft cleared for ILS landing.

They quite regularly fluctuate, which is why movements on the ground are restricted when low vis conditions are in force. Aircraft landing or taking off in front of you will also distort the beams. You just need to be watching for it.

3) Rule of thumb of 300 ft vertical per 1nm from runway threshold suggests they should have been approx 800ft at 2.6nm

Yes. And the sink rate should never really change much from 650 feet per minute. If it goes above, or below that, there should be an obvious reason.

What would be the reason for not turning off the GS which then would result in VFR only approach?

We don’t know that it was VMC, only the wind and visibility at ground level. What was the cloud base?

You can turn the G/S off, and do a localiser only approach. In the A380, that was almost as precise (and used the same procedures) as an ILS. I haven’t been to HK for a few years, so I don’t know what GPS approaches are available.

What alternatives are there to the ILS glideslope?

Well, if the cloud lets you you, looking out the window has always worked for me. Being aware of ILS issues, is obviously what everyone else was doing. You could do a localiser only approach. You could query the issue with ATC, and do another approach or go to another runway. To be honest though, the aircraft registration tells me all I need to know.
 
Historical Hong Kong weather in the morning on 20 Oct 2018 suggests only "scattered cloud".
Metars:
VHHH 200000Z 09017KT 9999 FEW022 26/19 Q1019 NOSIG=
VHHH 192330Z 08013KT 9999 FEW022 SCT035 25/19 Q1019 NOSIG=
VHHH 192300Z 08011KT 9999 FEW022 SCT035 24/19 Q1019 NOSIG=
VHHH 192230Z 09012KT 9999 FEW022 SCT035 24/19 Q1019 NOSIG=
VHHH 192200Z 09010KT 9999 FEW020 SCT030 24/19 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 192130Z 08014KT 9999 FEW020 SCT030 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 192100Z 09012KT 9999 FEW020 SCT030 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 192030Z 08011KT 9999 FEW020 SCT030 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 192000Z 08013KT 9999 FEW020 SCT030 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 191930Z 08013KT 9999 FEW020 SCT032 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 191900Z 09013KT 9999 FEW022 SCT035 24/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 191830Z 08012KT 9999 FEW022 SCT032 24/19 Q1018 NOSIG=
VHHH 191800Z 09015KT 9999 FEW022 SCT030 25/20 Q1018 NOSIG=
 
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