Apart a host of other issues, the Conclusions section of this report highlights that Black Rock was not in the EGPWS database, on the 1:250,000 aeronautical chart, Euronav imagery or Toughbook. As others have commented on. So mapping was not 100% reliable. But is that really surprising? Would anyone sensible assume that every one of Ireland’s no doubt hundreds of small islands is accurately recorded? Accurately enough to be confident bowling along at night in IMC conditions at 200ft for a planned 10 miles? Just nuts, as I know Crab and gulli agree.
There is a far simpler check that could and should have been done if this highly risky approach was going to be followed – just look at Google Earth. In the corporate world I operate in, whenever I’m going somewhere new I (and I’m sure many others) look at the approach and landing site on Google Earth. Together of course with charts. But photos don’t lie. A 15 second look at the APBSS approach on Google Earth would have made Black Rock glaringly obvious. And there’s even a photo to click on that shows it to be a bloody great lump of rock, about 300ft high! Even if the elevation cursor only shows it as 11m – not that you’d ever rely on that. But amongst the 37 Safety Recommendations not one says do a check on Google Earth!
Sometimes I feel that the world of aviation is so bogged down in a lifetime’s reading of documents and procedures that the obvious is missed.