Pprune forums, like events/mistakes discussed over a pint of beer at the bar have become a useful aid to flight safety. We learn from the experience of others and try not to go down the same road of no return.
Our working environment as professional pilots - the atmosphere -is an ever changing one. No two clouds produce the same amount of turbulence. No two approaches will experience the same amounts of wind shift,shear etc.
Reliance on reported met conditions during the approach in order to predict a successful outcome are the norm but....a recent NTSB report expressed amazement at the number of flights continuing to approach and land at a large US airfield in close proximity to large, active CB cells.
Just because the aircraft ahead manages to land we predict that we will be able to do the same.
When the aircraft ahead experiences severe windshear and performs a go around, or crashes....then we predict the unsuccessful outcome and discontinue the approach.
The question....should we have ever been on the approach at all.
The answer....well, nobody has gone around yet!
..... this aircraft is not full, so will be able to successfully go around at any point in the approach with good performance margins!
......I know storms of this size never produce microbursts!
......Company fuel policy put me in this low fuel situation!
...... Jesus...we are so tired, having operated 1 longhaul and 2 shorthaul sectors in one 22 hour duty day, with new f/o and one cruise relief co/pilot, with no adequate inflight rest facility!(Italian operator...God-ENAC help them)... a go-around would be more dangerous than to continue
.....The CEO sacked the last captain that diverted.( Italian operator).
...... I NEVER go-around!!!!
Which one of the above has been your motive for continuing in the past with less than CAVOK!
Let us ALL learn from the experience of others and try to keep ourselves out of Pprune.
P.S. I personally spoke with the Cuban authority about the rubber deposits on the threshold of runway 06 at Havana. In wet conditions the touchdown area is like a skating rink. Be warned that your performance tables would not help you on a reject at max RTOW, on runway 24, in slick conditions. How many other runways around the world suffer the same. Beware predictions based on assumed conditions!!!!!