Does anyone have any knowledge of why this flight made if halfway to Phoenix before turning back?
I'm a commercial rated pilot and a flight dispatcher, yet I can't see why this particular flight decided to turn back instead of landing. The conditions at the field did not prevent it from what I can see from the 175 handbook.
ERJ 170/175/190 Limitations
Max Ambient Air Temperature for T/O and Landing 52 C
52C is 125.6F and it wasnt anywhere near that hot.
Were they making short turnarounds and this was a question of brake heat? Were the concerned it was going to get even more hot and get stuck there? This was the only flight to return, and from video shown onboard they told passengers it was due to the heat prohibiting them from landing.
Is this something ops-specific? It didn't seem to affect anyone else.
I checked the various density altitude information, and nothing performance-wise should have prevented it (although it was obviously close to the envelope).
My density and temp calculations were:
Airport Conditions:
KPX Elevation: 1134.6 ft. / 345.8 m (surveyed)
KPX Temp: 46.7°C (116°F)
Dewpoint: 2.8°C (37°F) [RH = 7%]
Pressure (altimiter): 29.74 inches Hg
DENSITY ALTITUDE: 5186 feet
ERJ 175 Limitations
Max Ambient Air Temp for T/O & Landing: 125.6 F
Max Takeoff Altitude: 8,000 ft.
Brakes: Cooling Limitation: Do not takeoff with amber brake temperature indicators
That last bit about the brakes (or tires) is the only reason I could think of this (from a beancounter/dispatch standpoint).
Other types, on similar short turn-arounds, made it in all day.
