Once again blind accent on automation instead of flying a simple procedure
Thomson Airways has modified its Boeing 757 pilot-training programme to include a refresher on all-engine go-around following a missed approach incident at Bristol.
The aircraft (G-OOBE) entered an increasingly steep climb - pitching almost 31° nose-up at one point - during a go-around in gusting winds, during which its airspeed bled away from around 160kt to a minimum of 110kt.
UK investigators state that the 757's flight directors had commanded a high nose-up attitude as a result of the speed at which the go-around was initiated.
The aircraft entered a high rate of climb, says the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, with an "ever increasing" nose-up attitude owing to the combination of wind speeds, turbulence and full go-around thrust. This pitch attitude exceeded that indicated by the flight director.
As the 757 closed on the missed approach altitude of 3,000ft its automatic flight-control system reduced thrust as it tried to level the aircraft.
Investigators found that, although the captain had noticed the declining airspeed and encouraged the first officer to lower the nose, this was ineffective because the captain was unaware that the first officer had engaged the autopilot.
Despite the airspeed bleed and high attitude, the aircraft's stick-shaker did not activate.
Investigators determined that the crew had been "startled" and suffered degraded situational awareness during the high workload of the go-around. The probe into the incident, on 1 February 2016, adds that the winds had been "challenging" and that the first officer, at the time, had been undertaking his first line-training flight after a near half-year absence on medical grounds.
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Chasing FD needle indications in what should have been a basic go-around procedure. And why the blazing hurry to plug in the autopilot in the middle of a go-around?