Bizarre Go-Arounds

[FinDir]

We were having a discussion the other day about strange reasons for pilots going around or being sent around. One that was mentioned was during single runway ops, a departing aircraft (already lined up) wanted 3 minutes wake separation after a landing aircraft. :D Hence the inevitable happened.

So let's hear your stories guys

[matsATC]

A few years ago, a BA airbus on 1 mile final suddenly lifted its nose and stopped descending.

I asked the pilots to confirm they were going around, and the answer was:

"We don't know why, but it seems the aircraft decided to go around..."

[trafficnotsighted]

Due to having a road for cars/pedestrians crossing the runway LXGB has had plenty of them. The one that sticks in the mind is a B737 going around due to the runway being covered in slippers. A morocan national was being deported, so friends decided to do a sit in protest on the runway. They were slowly removed by the MOD police but all the slippers they wore were not removed in time.:)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<a departing aircraft (already lined up) wanted 3 minutes wake separation after a landing aircraft.>>

That's totally ridiculous as there is no such requirement. Wonder which airline?

[bobwi]

I asked the pilots to confirm they were going around, and the answer was:

"We don't know why, but it seems the aircraft decided to go around..."

That means; we messed up but don't want to admit it.... Airplanes, not even airbus, don't decide to go around....

As for the 3 minute delay due wake... There are some very strange people flying around. I have flown with people too, who suddenly come up with very strange ideas, even worse than this example. Initialy you think they are kidding but they mean it? :ugh:

[Tight Seat]

bobwi,

you think an Airbus doen't have a mind of its own...........

like the one last week that started to hold at Vesan all by itself ( no the MCDU was correct!), or the aircraft that on an NPA ( managed) leveled off at stayed there. I was PIC on both..

[guiones]

T S:

Two possibilities, either you do not know what is going on; or those FMGS's need to be sent to Honeywell or Thales by your airline for investigation. No middle ground.

Airbuses do not have their own mind, they either do what you program them to do or what they are designed to do, if not; need to fix it. No ghosts here.

You also have MANY resources at Airbus to answer why that happened, and they are very happy to help; if you don't know these resources check with your boss, if he doesn't know; PM me.

G

[Gonzo]

HD, it depends if there's a displaced threshold!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I acknowledge how out-of-date my Part 1 is, A.. I thought 2 mins was the max in that situation, but the originator didn't mention a displaced threshold. It would have to be a hell of a displacement for the flight paths to cross too!!

[Gonzo]

From CAP493:

Displaced threshold
9.9.3 Other aircraft categories. If the projected flight paths are expected to cross, a
wake turbulence separation of 2 minutes shall be provided between Medium (Upper
and Lower), Small or Light aircraft following a Heavy aircraft and between a Light
aircraft following a Medium or Small aircraft when operating on a runway with a
displaced threshold when:
a) a departing Medium (Upper and Lower), Small or Light aircraft follow a Heavy
arrival or a departing Light aircraft follows a Medium or Small arrival; or
b) an arriving Medium (Upper and Lower), Small or Light aircraft follow a Heavy
aircraft departure, or an arriving Light aircraft follows a departing Medium or Small
aircraft.

There's also another section for A380s (3 minutes).

I've certainly had aircraft ask me for 2 minutes before they depart from 09R at the full length behind a landing heavy. It is conceiveable that the airborne tracks will cross if the arrival lands slightly long.

[mr.777]

"We hit the TOGA button by mistake" is the best one I've ever had. Although, apparently, it's more common than you'd think.

[ZOOKER]

Mid 1980s, EGCC, R/W 24, 0500Z,(ish).
Go-around instructions issued to a Dan Air 1-11, due to "moo-cows on the runway".
(A small herd of cattle had assembled near the S264H radar, - abeam link 'C').

[spekesoftly]

DH Mosquito forced to go-around at an Air Display when the visiting Lord Mayor's Cavalcade took a wrong turning and crossed the runway mid-point.

Jet Provost forced to go-around when the local hunt invaded the airfield, oblivious to their error.

The pilot of a Trident explained that he was going around because "there is an elderly lady stuck in the lavatory".

[FantomZorbin]

Not strictly a 'go-around' but ... at one of Her Majesty's international airports* in the Med, a scheduled flight gets to 10 mls Finals then asks to do "some orbits", no-can-do as there are several other a/c behind it in the stream.

So we offered an orbit of the island which was gratefully accepted. Company Ops (and perhaps from a bit higher up the food chain!) demanded to know why we had delayed the flight, a question we referred to the pilot.

"We haven't finished feeding the passengers yet" was the reply that we passed on :}.

* Well on lease/loan to her then, HD will know the airfield concerned.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

FZ... If it's where I think, I still have the grey hairs....

[fireflybob]

Jet Provost forced to go-around when the local hunt invaded the airfield, oblivious to their error.

The pilot of a Trident explained that he was going around because "there is an elderly lady stuck in the lavatory".

1. Did the crew say "Tally Ho"?

2. Was she stuck there from Monday to Saturday?

Remember a funny from the early days (late 1960s) at ema. There had been an air display at the nearby Hucknall aerodrome and a whole gaggle of local light aircraft had flown there to see the show. They all came back in "loose" formation and the controller in the tower was known well to all. He cleared them all to do a run and break into the circuit. Weather was CAVOK etc. During this a Viscount calls up inbound from Belfast and requests a visual approach - controller says "Visual approach confirmed, clear to final number 12 !" All went well until the last C150 was almost landing and the Viscount was getting close in. Controller instructs C150 to clear right onto the grass after landing (meaning the grass strip rw 01/19) but the pilot clears immediate right onto the grass (but not the grass runway) and gets stuck with the tail hanging over the side of the runway - Viscount then has to go around!
Controller had quite a bit of explaining to do afterwards and his talk to the pilot of the C152 in the bar afterwards was priceless!

[Mister Geezer]

I was sent around once due to a pack of wild dogs wandering around the runway.... in driving rain and crap vis at night! How the guy in the tower saw them... I will never know! There was no surface movement radar either (before anyone asks) since this was in the sticks (Southern Eire!).

[FantomZorbin]

HD

Yup, that's the one! It was the 'flag carrier', hence the interest from on high!!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Hahaha.. But they did have the most enormous egg, chip and sausage butties at 10am!!

[Minesthechevy]

Mister Geezer, that happened to me, sort of.

Did a fam flight out of <shudder> Gatwick to <bigger shudder> Agadir many years ago, pilot elected to go around at Agadir after being 'cleared to land, be advised there is a dog on the runway and we are trying to catch him.'

Hope Fido escaped, otherwise he'd have kept some family fed for a week.:uhoh:

[PA38-Pilot]

Guiones,

Two possibilities, either you do not know what is going on; or those FMGS's need to be sent to Honeywell or Thales by your airline for investigation. No middle ground.

Airbuses do not have their own mind, they either do what you program them to do or what they are designed to do, if not; need to fix it. No ghosts here.

Guess you haven't flown an airbus, on don't have many hours on it then. I've seen it do many weird stuff throughout the years (drawing a circle when entering a "direct to", completely disregarding the speed bracket limits during descent for no reason, etc.)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

There were certainly two uncommanded go-arounds I knew of. I think it was an A321 that did it to me at Heathrow, landing 09L. When I asked what was happening the crew said something like "We're not sure, it wasn't us it was the aircraft". I heard that at Gatwick an L-1011 went round on touch-down with a baffled crew.. Needless to say, these incidents were long ago..

However, here are two bizarre go-arounds with the same aircraft - a clockwork mouse Cessna 310 on a SVFR flight. Having been cleared to land the aircraft went round, the plot explaining that it wasn't correctly configured. It came back 10 minutes later and went round again... pilot said he had the speed wrong. Tower controller gave go-around instructions, told the pilot to contact the SVFR Director and said, emphatically: "And don't come back until you can fly that thing". We never saw it again!!!!!

[L337]

"We hit the TOGA button by mistake" is the best one I've ever had. Although, apparently, it's more common than you'd think.

On the B747-400 (and others) the TOGA switch is under your index finger. The Auto Throttle disconnect switch is under your thumb.... lots of opportunity for chaos.

On the 767/757, I believe, they are the other way around. So even more opportunity for chaos.

[FlightDetent]

When the A320 predictive windshear system issues a warning during approach, the cockpit aural alert is "GO AROUND, WINDSHEAR AHEAD".

FD (the un-real)

[Pontius]

Going back a few years I had an 'interesting' day at the office. Despite a weather forecast to the contrary, we began with two missed approaches at GLA, due to a lack of runway being visible at DH (Cat 3A) and this was followed by a diversion to NCL. Their radar was broken (or something like that) and the ILS was knackered, so we were cleared for a procedural VOR. Having thrown charts round the flight deck and eventually managing to cobble together the approach we were rewarded with a lovely view of the runway and, with the go juice now being a little less than I'd normally like, I thought our day was finally at an end and began to sigh a little, as all was well again in the world. No! 'XXX, go around, there's a load of deer on the runway'.

Fortunately the Geordies did a good job of scaring the venison away and I think we would have won the award for quickest VOR approach ever flown, whilst trying to pretend the fuel tank numbers were higher than they actually were. If this had been in the simulator I think I wouldn't have been too surprised but whoever came up with that scenario was having a bit of a larf :rolleyes:

[bobwi]

When the A320 predictive windshear system issues a warning during approach, the cockpit aural alert is "GO AROUND, WINDSHEAR AHEAD".

FD (the un-real)


What is your point? There are several windshear warnings that you can get. Pilots still have to initiate the go around themselves.

Mistakes people make on the airbus are for example not activating the approach, which means that in managed mode the a/c will not fly the approach speed but would accelarate to probably 250 knts when you change from selected to managed. The engines will spool up and the pilots maybe surprised.

Or pilots have a lower altitude selected (platform altitude) when they are not on the glideslope yet. The airplane will level off at this altitude also causing the engines to spool up.

I have been a few years now on the airbus and I have never seen it "having a mind of its own". If it would it should be investigated and if the outcome is that it was airplane related and not pilots the airplane should be grounded and the problem fixed. Offcourse you never here anything official about it so my conclusion is "wrong pilot input".

[Biggles78]

I was on final into NZCH some 28 odd years ago, No 2 to a B732 when I heard; National 123 go around, there is a small child on the runway. :eek:

[WetFeet]

Light aircraft on approach to the short runway at an airfield in Scotland had to overshoot (that's what it was called then) because of a small pet dog running across the runway.....closely chased by its owner, who just happened to be an ATC Supervisor.

[Arthur Dent1]

40 years ago at Wick and a very young Cadet on Highland and Islands detachment following unit endorsement at Glasgow.

In those days runway 31 had a road crossing not far from the threshold. The road only served the nearby lighthouse so wasn't exactly busy but then neither was the airfield! However, when they built the new fire station it obstructed the view of the crossing from the tower. At this distance in time I can't remember the procedure for switching on the traffic lights but I assume it involved a 'phone call to the fire watch room to check the crossing was clear. I do remember the lights were always switched on in plenty of time, after all it wasn't as if we were going to be holding up massive queues of traffic heading out to the lighthouse.

Anyway, beautiful day; BEA Viscount on finals; crossing checked and lights on; Viscount cleared to land. Some little time later the fire station line rings.

"Do you know you have an old boy walking across your runway?"
"No I don't. How far across is he?"

There was a muffled crash as the handset was placed on the desk, then the sound of 4 or 5 measured footsteps across to the window, a lengthy pause and then more measured steps back, a rattle as the handset was picked up again and the reply-

"Not far enough."

"Bealine (whatever it was) overshoot, I say again overshoot."

In retrospect I'm sure the pilot must have seen the pedestrian; it was a gin clear day after all, so I suspect he was thinking of having a bit of sport and was intending to overfly the chap and then land a tad long. As it was he didn't exactly break any climbing records until he had overflown the crossing and then climbed to position himself for a visual circuit.

The fire service despatched a van to apprehend the walker in the middle of the runway and point out the error of his ways but the firemen were quite taken aback when the old boy demanded to know to whom he could complain as-

"Yon 'plane almost ran me down!"

Ah, the delights of H&I.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Loved it, Arthur! What did the Viscount chap say, I wonder.

Where I worked in my early days a colleague lined up a Coronado in front of a landing BEA Viscount... and it wouldn't roll so the Viscount went round. Later that evening at one party or another, the Viscount crew arrived.. "Where's the b**** who overshot us today?" said Captain Bert Orris. "Over there", we all chimed... Whereupon Bert grabbed the offending ATCO, who was older than Bert but with probably similar wartime lunatic tendencies, by the throat and threatened him with instant death if it happened again!!! Seconds later they wre screaming with hysterics and downing beers.. Oh happy days...

Wonder if Bert is still about?

[Arthur Dent1]

Hi Bren

If I remember correctly he did ask the reason for the overshoot (I suspect that was a bit of play acting as I'm sure he saw the guy) and when I replied "unauthorised pedestrian on runway" I think he muttered something along the lines of "should have let me land on the *******." but it was very quiet and garbled so I can't be sure!

[Lon More]

At Abbotsinch on a Sunday morning (trainee) controller reading a newspaper when an inbound called and was told, "Cleared to land ,,,," Jock Ellis, the mentor, asked, "What about the steam-roller on the runway?" Without looking up from the NotW the trainee transmits "Bealine 123, overshoot; steamroller on the runway." Bealine, with perfect visibility, was not impressed and a very interesting telephone conversation followed after landing. Resulted in Jock having a Monday morning meeting with the Boss and the trainee suffering a fate worse than death at the hands of the McMaffia.


Wasn't you, was it Arthur?

[Arthur Dent1]

No it was not! I never read the News and Screws.

[Airbus Girl]

Guiones,
Quote:
Two possibilities, either you do not know what is going on; or those FMGS's need to be sent to Honeywell or Thales by your airline for investigation. No middle ground.


I agree with the above, not PA38 Pilot - I've been flying Airbuses for 10 years and never had it go off and do its own thing. Unless I programmed it wrong. Or I was in the wrong mode. But then that will happen in any aeroplane, including a Boeing (I know, I've flown one of those too). The only way to know your aeroplane is to take the time to learn about it.

[FlightDetent]

What is your point? Lighten up bobwi. I stand firmly with the (airbus) trash in - trash out brigade. My simple wink is that AB can actually tell you to go around. Indeed, if followed, this shall be correctly reported to ATC as a windshear alert. Even if one needs to describe the event later to more knowledgable people (a.k.a. the chief pilot), the words "the machine decided to go-around" are not semantically correct. Just as you say.

Yours,
FD (the un-real)

[Loki]

Was in the tower at EGPF one day when a Trident, which I had given landing clearnce to, announced that he was compelled to overshoot. Once safely on his way, I asked the pilot for the reason, and he said.

"You`re not going to believe this, but we`ve got an old lady stuck in the lavatory"

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Loki.. That was funny first time I heard it when it was a Viscount at Heathrow. The ATCO asked if she would be there from Monday to Saturday and the misery pilot complained!!!!!

[windypops]

I had to "go around" in a light aircraft when I was in Canada as a chap who was going hunting decided to take a shortcut. He drove onto the runway and all the way down before turning off at the far end to shoot some animals.

I was on about a 1.5 mile final at the time.

Very bizarre.

[Lon More]

I was on about a 1.5 mile final at the timenumber five to land ....:E

[FUN.LEVER.FORWARD]

Heard the story of a chap in a solo watch tower who decided to get some horizontal rest under the console early one morning. Range check phone call from Approach (different building) woke the person with such a fright they hit their head on the console knocking themselves out. A/C on final got no reply from the tower frequency so commenced go around. The noise of the go around woke the controller who then knocked himself out on the console a second time. Rescue fire was summoned to the tower by approach who could not raise the controller and feared the worst.

Had a cat escape from the hold of an aircraft and lead security and rescue fire on a merry chase all over the aerodrome. The cat eventually went for cover under one of the fire appliances. One of the funniest sights to see with over ten pairs of legs poking out from under the fire appliance. The whole episode took over 15 minutes with several a/c sent around and put into holds I wonder what was said to the pax owner of the cat, and if they knew of the chaos on the other side.

[fiddlair]

Once I had a flight with the training chief of the company (he was one of the biggest asssholes then) on a 737 to Malpensa. At around 3000 feet I contacted the tower (he was flying from right seat), and the controller said "In case of a missed approach rwy heading 5500 ft" - he immediately went around. The controller said "OK then, contact approach"

[tom775257]

A gotcha on the older Airbus aircraft is if they don't have the global speed protection (as per a tech log thread recently) if you say intercept the glide from above using a sporting rate of descent, if you hit the max speed for that config you will get a reversion to open climb, kind of an auto g/a. It has caught out pilots in the company I work for and was the subject of an aircrew notice.

[Loki]

I was an ATCA at Heathrow about a million years ago, and was standing at the bus stop one evening, looking across the road to the CTB, when I spotted the boss (Basil Turner) coming out through the doors. As this happened, there was an ear splitting roar and a PIA 707, on an overshoot seemed to miss the top of the tower by not much at all. The thing that impressed me was that the boss didn`t break stride at all; just did a very smooth 180 turn back into the building.

[obwan]

Dan Air 111 Happy memories

[ACARS]

Weston
C172
No landing clearance from ATC despite three "finals" from me. A C152 had just cleared the active. I performed a go around at about 10feet. :8

Not exciting compared to the pro's, but I think I made the right decision. And a good learning as a meer student PPL.

[Capt Claret]

"We hit the TOGA button by mistake"

In the BAe146 that I used to fly the toga buttons were accessed by the thumb, in lever #1 or #4. In the B717 I now fly, the buttons in the same position, disconnect the Auto Throttle System, whereas the TOGA buttons are on the aft of the throttle levers, accessed either by the heel of the palm, or repositioning one's hand to press.

During our sim check-out, I managed to disconnect the auto throttle instead of command a go around! :\