Report summary:
Cleared to conduct a visual approach to Melbourne Airport, the aircraft descended below the normal approach profile and entered the 500 ft vertical buffer at the base of the control area step, below the minimum safe altitude, though it remained in controlled airspace. This reduced separation with terrain and any aircraft operating outside controlled airspace.
During the descent, both flight crew had become pre-occupied with other tasks inside the flight deck, which had the effect of increasing their workload and distracting them from monitoring the aircraft’s flight path and altitude. About two minutes after commencing descent on the visual approach, the flight crew levelled the aircraft after realising that it appeared to be low on profile. A safety alert issued by air traffic control soon followed and, in response, the aircraft was climbed to intercept the recommended visual approach descent profile. The remainder of the flight was uneventful and the aircraft landed on runway 16 at Melbourne Airport.
This incident highlights the importance of monitoring an aircraft’s flight profile and altitude, especially during the high workload phases of flight.
Final Report: Flight path management and descent toward the lower limit of controlled airspace involving Airbus A320, VH-VND, on approach to Melbourne Airport, Victoria, on 11 February 2015
ATSB are improving. Only three years to produce an incident report saying an Australian A320 crew stuffed up a visual approach to Melbourne in fine weather
