BOAC;
PJ - I see you appear to have begun this '60 deg of bank' thing which seems to be running amok now as an 'idea' for some here.
The notion should not be running amok among experienced airmen as the standard response should be perfectly clear for those flying the Airbus, but I can understand the concern with those who follow in our footsteps and may be confused about what an airplane is capable of and what is required by SOPs.
I made these statements
as observations of the Airbus A321's capabilities, not as a statement of the recommended procedure for the escape maneuver.
In the Islamabad case, from unconfirmed anecdotal comments, the aircraft was started on a turn to the left on the autopilot (and may have responded by turning to the right if the heading select went past 180deg...NOTE PLEASE - all this is complete conjecture and must be confirmed by the actual data!), and so I offered the thought that a bank angle of up to 60deg was available if required. It is not necessary nor is it SOP.
The Airbus A320 series "Ground Contact" escape maneuver is:
Simultaneously:
- Select thrust levers to TOGA thrust
- Ensure autopilot is disengaged
- Pitch nose up, Apply up to full back sidestick
- Roll wings level to initiate the pull up and then adjust as required.
The standard procedure for escape from ground contact after an EGPWS or GPWS warning occurs in poor/low visibility should now be quite clear to all pilots.
As pilots are trained on this equipment they will learn that their aircraft is capable of such bank angles but such bank angles are neither required during the maneuver nor are they immediately necessary without cause which is readily apparent to the crew.
I hope this clarifies my comments. Thanks for your important responses
BOAC and
Neptunus Rex.
PJ2