New Delhi, Oct 21 Aircraft accident probe agency AAIB has recommended that state-owned Alliance Air should strengthen simulator training requirements for its pilots while flagging unstabilised approach and various other deficiencies as probable causes for the airline’s aircraft undershooting the runway at the Bhubaneswar airport in 2024.
The incident happened on October 8, 2024, when Alliance Air aircraft VT-RKF flying from Rourkela undershot the runway while landing at the Bhubaneswar airport. There were 43 passengers and 4 crew members onboard the ATR 72-212A plane and no one suffered any injury.
Releasing its final report on the incident, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said the “occurrence highlights deficiencies in approach stabilisation, adverse weather handling, situational awareness and timely decision-making during landing operations.”
The agency cited continuation of an unstabilised approach below the prescribed stabilisation criteria during adverse weather conditions as the probable cause for the incident.
While approaching the runway, AAIB said the aircraft deviated below the glide path because of nose-down control inputs combined with the effects of low-level wind shear, involving a transition from headwind to tailwind conditions. Poor weather, reduced visibility, delayed recognition of unstable approach conditions, and failure to initiate a go-around leads to the occurrence, it said, adding the aircraft touched down before reaching the runway threshold.
The situation was further aggravated when the autopilot got disengaged at approximately 200 feet Radio Altitude (RA) in turbulent weather conditions, significantly increasing pilot workload at a critical phase of flight, it said.
Highlighting shortcomings in Crew Resource Management (CRM), the probe agency, in its 54-page report, said inadequate communication, crosschecking, mutual intervention, and challenge-response coordination between the pilots contributed to the ineffective management of deteriorating approach conditions and the failure to initiate a timely go-around.
“After landing, the PIC informed ATC that the aircraft had landed on Runway 51 instead of Runway 14, possibly due to nervousness, stress and confusion following the serious incident, indicating a temporary lapse in situational awareness,” AAIB said and also mentioned that Alliance Air did not provide the crew flying-hours data in a complete and satisfactory manner.
PIC and ATC refer to Pilot In Command and Air Traffic Controller.
In its safety recommendation, the probe agency said Alliance Air should strengthen simulator training requirements for flight crew by incorporating advanced scenarios involving heavy rain, low-visibility approaches, and rapidly deteriorating weather conditions.
“Special emphasis should be placed on pilots who have recorded operational exceedances within a six-month period, with mandatory recurrent simulator sessions and targeted remedial training to enhance decision-making, situational awareness, and adherence to standard operating procedures during adverse weather operations,” it said.
(PTI News)
