Originally Posted by
helicrazi
You and I have different interpretations of glorious...
Having reread the report, the 1720 at Scatsta (within minutes of the accident) the vis was 4700m and cloud overcast at 300ft.
Yeah fair point about the “glorious”. I landed at 1635 in Scatsta with Capt Jean on the 23rd and the 1620z Metar shows broken at 700’ and 5000m, however I distinctly remember it was lovely weather most of the way home and an easy approach into Scatsta. As anyone who’s flown out an island airport knows, the weather forecast, actual and what is really happening can be 3 very different situations.
My experience of flying out of the Shetlands is that local knowledge was worth its weight in gold, those south-easterly winds always brought on a cold sweat at the prospect of the rapid onset of fog. Luckily for us up there Sumburgh normally fogged out first and on ‘interesting’ weather days we’d be listening to the Sum ATiS on the way out to the basin not just on the way back and more than once I’ve turned around as Sum started fogging out.
RIP.
Edit: 1650z metar is almost identical too 5000m and BKN007, but as others above mentioned 1720 shows rapid decline to OVC003. The accident was at 1717.