Danger of letting down based on NDB false overhead. B707 crash 1974
There was this 1996 Croatia crash, definitely got my attention as I was just working on my instrument rating that year, with NDB as part of the training.
1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash - Wikipedia
1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash - Wikipedia
short flights long nights
In my previous, previous life, I was flying a non glass, 737 300, to somewhere in Spain. I can’t remember where. However we were cleared for a NDB approach. Light cloud at 2000, about 4 Oktas. When we got station passage, the FO, who was flying, started the correct let down procedure. Looking out the window, and also the the DME, something suddenly did not add up. I told him to stop the decent. We actually got “station passage” about ( from what I could work out), about 5 nm South of the NDB. I have never figured out why. But it gave me a BIG SCARE.
Having read above, maybe it was night effect. I know it was scary. It was only the fact it was almost CAVOK, and I had been there many times at night, and it did not look right, triggered me.
Having read above, maybe it was night effect. I know it was scary. It was only the fact it was almost CAVOK, and I had been there many times at night, and it did not look right, triggered me.
Thank God the horrible NDB is now effectively a thing of the past. I spent the early years of my flying career driving a Piper Navajo around the rocks of the Pacific Northwest of North America. I had a near identical experience of a false passage indication with a probable CFIT accident if I had not listened to my spidy senses.
NDB’s did result in some innovative procedures though. One airport (CYCD) used to have a NDB approach with a big bend at beacon (FAF). Waiting for station passage put you well West of the remaining portion of the final track towards high ground and required you very quickly intercept the final approach track outbound. However it was often calm in the morning and before you reached the NDB you passed over a pre pollution control pulp and paper plant. The trick was a soon as you smelled the plant you put in 3 degrees of left bank which would mean you would be almost perfectly aligned with the runway at beacon passage
NDB’s did result in some innovative procedures though. One airport (CYCD) used to have a NDB approach with a big bend at beacon (FAF). Waiting for station passage put you well West of the remaining portion of the final track towards high ground and required you very quickly intercept the final approach track outbound. However it was often calm in the morning and before you reached the NDB you passed over a pre pollution control pulp and paper plant. The trick was a soon as you smelled the plant you put in 3 degrees of left bank which would mean you would be almost perfectly aligned with the runway at beacon passage
