UA930 Diverted to LGW

[Chap6168]

Anyone know the reason?

[Skipness One Echo]

Well I am curious so ignore the snidey ignorant people. Heathrow appeared to be operating reasonably smoothly today, the only thing out of the ordainary I noticed was the large number of landers on the departing runway when traffic was quiet-ish. Mixed mode it seems is with us already.....

[splitduty]

couldn`t accept the delay into heathrow(about 25-30 mins)--and as everyone is trying to tell you--no big deal! and he wasn`t short of fuel and there was no emergency and---

[Chap6168]

I wasn't trying to suggest there was a problem, I was just curious as to why it appeared at LGW, Eat My Shorts comments weren't worth replying to anyway.

[Skipness One Echo]

It IS unusual in that most airlines are capable of working out holding fuel to get them round the Bovingdon hold a few times amd a little bit more for unexpected delays. Heathrow today wasn't in one of it's disastrous meltdown days and the weather was unremarkable. So what did United get wrong? Someone did miscalculate because there are several hundred paying passengers delivered to the wrong airport.

As this was a LHR inbound, it's an Eastbound flight so it's not gonna be headwinds is it? Question stands.

and as everyone is trying to tell you--no big deal! and he wasn`t short of fuel and there was no emergency and--- Bloody obvious he WAS short of fuel mate, he didn't make the destination airfield !

[Captain Airclues]

I believe that it is a very valid question as to why a serviceable aircraft diverts in good weather. This is the correct forum for this sort of question. Those people posting silly replies should read the announcement at the head of this forum

This forum is somewhere where we do not discourage people from asking 'simple' questions.

If this offends you, do NOT get involved in the thread.

Those making juvenile replies which do not help the thread will risk anything from post deletion, being blocked from the thread up to being blocked from PPRuNe.


Dave

[saman]

Skipness O E,

With respect it could be headwinds - or less than predicted tailwinds to be more exact. A wind strength and direction is an input into the calculations and if it's less favourable than predicted - be that a stronger headwind or a less strong tailwind - one can use some of the reserve fuel; but that's why reserve fuel is loaded.

[splitduty]

skipness one echo,
I notice you describe yourself as a suit who knows diddlysquat. I couldn`t put it better myself. If you trawl pprune for fuel requirements to be carried by commercial aircraft, you could learn a lot--and might even learn that certain rules have to be complied with,which mean someone might divert but that does not necessarily mean they are short of fuel.

[Skipness One Echo]

I notice you describe yourself as a suit who knows diddlysquat. I couldn`t put it better myself. If you trawl pprune for fuel requirements to be carried by commercial aircraft, you could learn a lot--and might even learn that certain rules have to be complied with,which mean someone might divert but that does not necessarily mean they are short of fuel.

I need to delete that self deprecating post, I really do.

Reading between the lines I am thinking UA have a different SOP

I have come across the odd BA flight comment on finals at LHR that in the event of a go around they would declare a fuel emergency and indeed the inbound BA108 did indeed make that call on Saturday. I have also seen the BA6 go around and declare a MAYDAY due to the fuel situation. No panic, everyone knew the score, aircraft gets a quick handover to Director and lands without incident some time later. So I wouldn't describe myself as completely ill informed and was really looking to see why the United aircraft wasn't able to make it's destination airfield and diverted to Gatwick, presumably without more holding at WILLO.....

Is it not possible to request a priority approach to LHR given the circumstances rather than end up with several hundred people in the wrong place, not to metion a swathe of missed connections?

[vespasia]

Is it not possible to request a priority approach to LHR

In a word, no! There is no such thing as a "fuel emergency" category in the UK - I'm sure this has been covered before on PPrune. The aircraft must declare a PAN or MAYDAY as appropriate. The reasons for this are largely that many long haul airlines used to arrive and let approach know that they were "a bit tight" on fuel. Unsurprisingly, this usually happened when there were holding delays, enabling the aircraft to queue jump the stacks and receive minimum delay at the expense of the more patient operators. If the aircraft declares a PAN or a MAYDAY there is a required level of investigation into the fuel uploaded against that required.

At the time of the diversion there was no holding at WILLO and the UAL930 was given a straightforward radar circuit for 26L at Gatwick. If the aircraft had declared a PAN whilst in the stack at Heathrow he would have been prioritised there.

Hope this helps!:)

[point5]

Delay into EGLL possibly due to us being 27L SRO for best part of 30 mins yesterday.