Disorientation on go around, will be reinforced if we know as to whether the aircraft had been modified with the upgraded Flight Directors. Minor point- not all ex-AN 320's were equiped with predictive winshear.
I must add, if you have watched the GF crash reproduced with FDR data, you will note the aircraft should have crashed on it's first orbit- I recall it went from 700' to 200'! Below average piloting skills the major factor and not the convenient somato gravic illusion Gulf Air likes to run with!
In my experience, spatial disorientation on G/A in A320 aircraft is exascerbated or a combination of the following factors:
1) Poor raw data & I/F skills which Airbus operations can hide.
2) An inability to confidently reinstate automatics after a 'botched' approach where correction initially involved disengaging them.
3) A nose low TOGA go around. Hesident and under confidence from crews in point 1 above can be prone to this.
4) A combination of somato gravic illusion, speed tape confusion and mode confusion has a further nose over on Go Around. The Airbus now rapidly lights up like a Christmas tree with visual and aural overspeed warnings, distracting crew further. Mode confusion and distraction can lead to a crash - GF for example.
I need to elaborate here. Speed tape confusion on Airbus PFD's is sensory and I have observed it in two ways amongst crews. Demonstration of speed brake to ab initios- VLS physically appears to run up the PFD and the nose is pulled up to 'escape' the illusion ( quickly countered and just a minor stepping stone in a glass upgrade ).
But the problem area is the other way and in it's extremity is a nose low Go Around. As speed rapidly increases, the red barbers pole for the flaps can have the illusion of running down the PFD; a further nose over to escape the illusion will put your PFD well into the barbers pole. Somato gravic illusion may exascerbate the confusion.
So here we now are- nose lowering further, TOGA thrust, distracted by overspeed warnings and GPWS, but the PFD speed tape is confusingly completely red and you have no concept of power plus attitude.
Airbus was probably well aware of the problem. It made sense to upgrade the Flight Directors so the Go Around manoeuvre was simplified. I don't believe Ansett aircraft had been upgraded. So it is likely the Armenian aircraft were without the function.
Last edited by Gnadenburg; 17th May 2006 at 03:05.