Fuel management- Landing assured in CAT 2 weather?

[Pilot123456789]

Would anyone consider landing assured with actual RVR of eg 400m?

Let's say the weather has degraded to worse than forecasted and you arrive overhead your destination with Final reserve + diversion fuelt and you find yourself with the choice of diverting to the destination alternate or cobtinue to hold for 10 minutes having been given an 10 minute delay for your approach. Your aircraft has a fail operational CAT3 capability. Would you potentially consider landing assured?

[FlightDetent]

Start thinking from the other side.

If you divert ASAP, arrive at ALTN with FRSV fuel + 10 minutes (which you saved by not doing the approach and G/A over DEST). Then a simple locked brake of a runway inspection vehicle, or something pathetic like a drone infringing will cause you to break-off the approach and reposition for another one.

So you are above a single runway, with all amber lights on fuel indicators illuminated, and no back-up option. The plan A is to land, and it is the plan Z as well.

Compared to your scenario, especially with CAT III operational A/C, and RVR = CAT II minima + 100 m. -->> If you commit and stay: it is AGAIN a single runway and plans A-Z are to land on it ...
... except you still have (most of) the alternate fuel in the tanks to buy time if needed.

Which situation has more margins in it?

[RAT 5]

FD: I was writing same time as you. Excellent points. The dilemma between legality & practicality & risk taking. Staying at destination you have more fuel to cover contingencies, even a GA and try again. At ALTN you've not a lot of wiggle room. Of course some would opt for divert, refuel and return. As you say, yu want to be damn sure ALTN stay open for you.

Pilot 1-9.
You say CAT 2 weather, but is the installation CAT 2 or 3? The a/c is Fail Operational. That would suggest a DH <50' depending on company approval. 400m and DH 20' should not present a problem.
10min delay suggests you are No.3. You might enquire of No.1 & 2 are friend or foe and ask to queue jump if they have extra fuel to hold. Helping out a mate is part of the game. If not, I'd be asking if there have been previous landings within the previous few minutes. Is there any shortcut you can make to ALTN and recover 10mins fuel? Another shorter ALTN. You might consider holding at a higher ALT a short distance towards the ALTN so that you have a CDA back to destination. That might save you a few kgs and you can decide what to do at approach clearance time. It would be a bummer if No.2 blocked the runway. Waiting until they cleared might eat too much fuel.

It would be an interesting CRM issue in the flight deck, and by the time the committee had discussed it, the fuel remaining might have answered the question for you.

[FlightDetent]

@pilot1-9

The actual airports involved would play major role on the decision making. Are you over Bergamo, and ALTN is Malpensa, or the other way around? What about Linate then?

(for the UK savvy: LDS to MAN or reverse, LPL being the third spot)

And then, when the simple questions are sorted out, you'd start squeezing the situation for your benefit as per RAT5's observations. All of this actual airman's work should take place very early in the descent, not later.


But to answer your original question:

YES. I would consider landing assured sitting in a CAT III operational aeroplane with trained crew, above a CAT II-only airport where RVR 400 m is being reported, provided that:
- LVPs are already in force;
- it is not specifically prohibited by the Company OM under LVO.

[Pilot123456789]

Would anyone consider landing assured with actual RVR of eg 400m?

Let's say the weather has degraded to worse than forecasted and you arrive overhead your destination with Final reserve + diversion fuelt and you find yourself with the choice of diverting to the destination alternate or cobtinue to hold for 10 minutes having been given an 10 minute delay for your approach. Your aircraft has a fail operational CAT3 capability. Would you potentially consider landing assured?

[RAT 5]

Haven't we already done this, recently?