PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Real Men don't go around - a fatal cultural flaw.
Old 1st Apr 2007, 03:20
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019360
 
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The focus of CRM is "What is right?" not "Who is right". That makes it ideally at least, culture free. As long as "we who know better" (i.e. western pilots) think this can only happen to "them" (Asian pilots) then we ourselves are part of the problem.
Were there asians in the cockpit of this Southwest 737 at Burbank?...
"Arriving in Burbank on a flight from Las Vegas, NV, the crew contacted SOCAL Approach and were told to expect the visual approach to runway 8 at BUR. Approximately 10 miles from the field, while descending to 3000 feet, the crew was instructed to maintain 230 knots until further advised. One minute later, the crew was cleared for the visual approach to runway 8, with an instruction to maintain 3,000 feet until passing the Van Nuys VOR (approx 6nm from the runway).
For unknown reasons, the flight crew passed the VOR and failed to start their descent from 3000 feet. 3.9nm from the runway threshold, at an airspeed of 230 knots and an altitude of 3000 feet, the crew began their descent to land. Due to the steep nature of the descent (nearly 7°), the crew received two "sink rate" warnings at approximately 400' AGL, and a "pull up" warning at 190' AGL. The aircraft touched down 2800' down the 6032' runway with a groundspeed of 181 knots.
Despite using max reverse thrust, spoilers, and brakes, the crew was unable to stop the aircraft before the end of the runway. The plane broke through a blast fence at approximately 40 knots, skidded across Hollywood Way, and came to rest 38' from a Chevron gasoline station. The aircraft was evacuated via the escape slides.
"
This was an amazing approach effort. As with American MD-80 at Little Rock, Air France 340 at Toronto, Qantas 747 at Bangkok etc etc. It can happen anytime that one pilot thinks the other knows what he is doing or thinks the price of speaking up is too high. That can come from items other than DNA such as friendship, admiration, bewilderment, pride, fatigue etc etc.
FWA (Flying While Asian) is not yet an indictable offence.
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