That 737 that auto landed was me. We arrived into Adelaide with Melbourne diversion + 45 mins hold, because I had a feeling in my loins departing Sydney, and after a pulse quickening curfew arrival into Sydney with unforecast fog a week prior.
We held for about 25 mins while aircraft diverted left right and centre all around us.
When vis was reported as 820m we shot an approach and were just able to see expanding Hials at minima. Borderline stuff to be sure but we waited until vis was reported above requirements and got lucky.
Elected to auto land to enable all my attention to be on expanding segment.
First in, then others followed as fog quickly dissipated. Although around the terminal it seemed more clagged in than the runway.
Funny thing is, there were no requirements to divert really as metar had fog clearing 30 min after we arrived so if you'd trusted the metar you'd have gotten in.
Tough call when she's fogged in to put all your eggs in the metar basket but legally if you had 30 min on arrival at about 10:30 from memory you didn't have to go anywhere.
But we had bucketload so was a no brainier to wait it out.
Hats off to the mildura crews getting it down safely but I'd be damned if I'd leave an auto land capable airfield to head to a tinpot non-ils runway if I knew it had fog also.
That's the million dollar variable though isn't it. Was fog on the mildura metar?
Last edited by spelling_nazi; 18th Jun 2013 at 12:09.