For all those out there who are saying that ATC do not know if an approach is unstable, I must intervene. We may not know if the crew believe it to be unstable but our job as controllers is to enforce safety at the aerodrome (at least in the UK). To do this we have a number of aids at our disposal, not lest our experience - if you spend years looking out of the window, you learn to spot an approach that is off track either laterally or vertically.
More importantly, we also have an electronic aid called an AMA - Approach Monitoring Aid. This provides information on the stability of the lateral track of an aircraft on the approach. The closer tha aircraft gets to the airfield, the less the tolerance of lateral deviation allowed on the approach by the system. If the aircaraft deviated too much, an audible buzzer sounds. We have to check if the aircraft is happy with the approach. If the aircraft is within a mile and outside the tolerance, we HAVE to instruct the aircraft to go around, no choice, these are the rules. The device was designed after someone tried to land on the A4 instead of 27R at Heathrow.
My point is this - whilst ATC abroad may not be what it is here, when you are here you should do as you are told. When in Rome I suppose. The controller may have given the go around for any number of reasons. The previous lander may have left debris on the runway for instance. How then could it be safer for the PIA to land? Forget the old "what if they had an engine fire?" twaddle, if they had, everyone would have known about it. They landed cos they thought that they knew better. Final command may well rest with the captain, but what would be the outcome of landing on a contaminated runway after being instructed to go around? Potentially very bad, I proffer.
Also, to call into question ATCs knowledge on unstable approaches is churlish at the outside. We may not know how to fly as well as you and we are certainly NOT telling you how to fly, but we DO see more approaches and landings at our aerodrome than any pilot (try doing arrivals 27R at Heathrow for an hour, boring as hell) so we do know when one is not in the correct place.
We are here to provide safety as I said earlier on. If I say go around, it ain't a joke, I MEAN GO AROUND. If you choose not to and something bad happens, don't blame me. I don't give 'em lightly because it means more work for me. Most pilots I've ever met would prefer to land as well, so if we give a go around there is usually a good reason. Imagine if the Manchester controller had NOT given the go around and the crew had stuffed it. Who's head would you want on the platter then?
ATC over here is about as safe as you can get, so let's all try and keep it that way.
P7
