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Old 17th Aug 2013, 15:45
  #318 (permalink)  
NigelOnDraft
 
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No. On the A306 once you start down on a profile approach, inside the FAF, you set the missed approach altitude, not MDA. (I don't remember if it's the same on a V/S approach but guessing it is) But that makes it possible to go below MDA without having the field in sight, the airplane won't automatically level off.
But why would you want to "level off" at MDA??

I thought it was established "big planes" do not do "dive and drive", they fly a constant flight path approach and at (M)DA they either continue to descend (visually) or GA. In the event you put MDA in, and mistakenly, even though visual, allowed the AP to level you off you have now destabilised the approach significantly enough to require a GA anyway.

There are auto call outs, SOPs and 2 pilots to prevent inadvertent descent below (M)DA without the required visual refs.

PS the above is not intended to relate to the UPS accident - just the post above.

NoD
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