- "I don't discount any of the possibilities but IMHO the faulty fuel monitoring system (incorrect calibration?) appears marginally the most plausible" from snanceki
- "You don't get it much more serious than being OUTAGAS" from Spaz Modic
should not be taken lightly.
It has been stated ad nauseum that the aircraft had plenty of fuel on board. Around 10 tonnes I recall, certainly in that region.
Nowaday, I guess there is some stress in a 777 cockpit at the end of a perfect job done during a CDA ... Idlle thrust or so from top of descent, feeling the need for aditionnal thrust only a couple of milles towards touchdown. Will the engines spool up? Are there spooling up fast enough? Let us keep an eye on them, make sure they don't roll back! Keep on, threshold coming soon!
While in an ideal world idle power from TOD until 1000' would be the most fuel efficient method of descending it just does not happen that often in busy airspace and almost never will it happen into LHR. The emphasis on CDAs is reserved for the descent commenced at some point after the holding fix and that emphasis is due more to the reduction in noise for those below the flight path than for simply economy.
I guess that 777 crews todays are a little more suspicious about low temperatures, icing messages, exotic jet fuels and ... perfect CDAs ...
Er......no.