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Old 16th Oct 2015, 09:12
  #33 (permalink)  
FullWings
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tring, UK
Posts: 1,847
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In isolation, you could probably stop most aircraft quite safely within the LDA with a 30kt tailwind, assuming you landed in the right place at the right speed. You could also take off 10% overweight and would be fine as long as nothing else went wrong. Busting minima on a precision approach will get you in 99.9% of the time.

It’s like Stabilised Approach Criteria. Most operators have a hard limit below which THOU SHALT NOT GO if you do not satisfy your SAC and also instructions to throw the approach away should you deviate from them later on. Much of this came from post-accident analysis where there was found to be a high correlation between unstable approaches and runway excursions. A good way to reduce the incidence of UA to landing? Make it simple to reject an UA and back that up with FOQA. You have to draw a line in the sand somewhere to stop people “having a go” believing they are doing their best for passengers and company.

With tailwinds, there are SOP/FCOM limitations. If you knowingly and deliberately (as judged by your company/authority) operate beyond these, as opposed to “accidentally” then you are placing yourself in a rather precarious position should anything happen, even if it is not directly related.

In an emergency, of course, I would take a serious out-of-limits tailwind fully expecting to get away with it but why turn a routine flight into an emergency? I’m paid to avoid that.
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