bom mildura observations

The Velocity 1384 FO replied that they were in the same boat but, after discussion between the captain and FO of Velocity 1384, they elected to hold and allow Qantas735to continue with the approach. The 0303 TAF for Adelaide on the morning of the occurrence forecast scattered cloud and light winds. By the time the aircraft arrived at the airport, the runway threshold was obscured by the fog. Figure 1: Approximate aircraft positions at 0700, when the amended forecast for Adelaide was issued with a 30 per cent probability of fog, Figure 2: Approximate aircraft positions at 0800, when the trend forecast for Adelaide was issued with fog conditions forecast to lift at 0900, Figure 3: Approximate aircraft positions at 0900, just prior to initiating the diversion to Mildura. In addition to training in core ATC competencies, controllers received training in the classroom and simulator that covered aircraft operational aspects including, but not limited to: Additionally, assessment was made in simulators and onthejob in relation to controllers management of nonroutine events. Keep at the BoM They need to understand that the comparison between technologies for temperature measurement are necessary public knowledge. ATC asked them to nominate a latest divert time to proceed to a suitable airport. Meanwhile, if we consider the residual available parallel data the very hottest days according to readings from the electronic probe (30 November 2012, 18 January 2013, 5 January 2013, 8 January 2013, 6 January 2013, 1 December 2013, highest to lowest) have no equivalent reading from a mercury thermometer. Both aircraft had the necessary equipment to conduct at least a CAT II (fail passive) autoland at Adelaide and both flight crews were trained and approved in Cat II/III autoland procedures. An AWIS provides actual weather conditions, via telephone or radio broadcast, from an automatic weather station. There is the potential that due to workload considerations, pilot requests may be redirected to another VHF frequency or Flightwatch HF. The forecasters then decided to amend the Adelaide TAF at 0700 to include a 30 per cent probability of fog. Boeing 737-800 aircraft were unable to use Broken Hill due to runway pavement limitations. Readers are cautioned that there is the possibility that new evidence may become available that alters the circumstances as depicted in the report. Latest Weather Observations for Mildura IDV60801 Issued at 9:22 am EDT Monday 16 January 2023 (issued every 10 minutes, with the page automatically refreshed every 10 minutes) About weather observations | Map of weather stations | Latest weather observations for VIC | Other Formats Station Details ID: 076031 Name: MILDURA AIRPORT Lat: -34.24 The area GPS-based navigation Global Navigation Satellite System (RNAV GNSS) instrument approach to runway27 at Mildura required pilots to be clear of cloud at a minima of 660 ft (493ft AGL), reducing to 560 ft (393 ft AGL) using an actual aerodrome QNH[6] (see the sections titled Area navigation Global Positioning System navigation systemand Airport information). On 6 April 2004 an Airbus A330 aircraft landed on runway 34L at Sydney Airport in weather conditions that were below the applicable landing minima. Authorities are frustrated after a truck driver reportedly manoeuvred around warning signs only to become caught in floodwaters at Lethebrook forcing a swiftwater rescue mission overnight . These broadcasts normally cease either after 1 hour or after an updated MET product or NOTAM is available, whichever occurs earlier. The only section in the AIP that defined hazard alerting procedures stated: A sudden (not forecast NOTAMed) change to a component of FIS having an immediate and detrimental effect on the safety of an aircraft will be communicated by ATC using the prefix Hazard Alert. The captain held an Air Transport Pilot (Aeroplane) Licence with a Boeing 737-300 to 800endorsement and a current Class 1 Aviation Medical Certificate with various conditions. FIS should not serve as the sole source of aviation weather and other operational information. Ltd. (Virgin). The crew decided to conduct an autopilot-coupled approach with automatic landing, as fog was also present at Edinburgh Airport, rendering that airport unsuitable as an alternate. This display, together with an explanation of the LOW FUEL, FUEL CONFIGURATION and FUEL IMBALANCE indications, is expanded at Figure 5. effect such a failure would have on the aircrafts ability to continue with an autoland approach. The action by the crew of Qantas 735 at 0816 to seek additional information from ATC in relation to the clearance of the fog at Adelaide was to inform their decision-making as they approached the DPA. Where relevant the safety issues and actions will be updated on the ATSB website as information comes to hand. To use this page in a spreadsheet, get the plain text version (4 kb). The captain was still the pilot flying; however, they briefed that if at any time during the approach the FO sighted the runway, then the FO was to take control and land. Only one caller was able to access the AWS via phone at any one time. A LOW fuel indication and/or fuel IMBAL indication would normally result in the flight crew actioning the appropriate nonnormal checklist in the aircrafts Quick Reference Handbook (QRH). As such, the dissemination of AIREP information by ATC remains a necessary source of information for BoM and should be actioned whenever possible. While the RNAV GNSS approach had a minima of 660 ft, if the actual aerodrome QNH was obtained from an approved source, this could be reduced to 560 ft. AIP ENR 1.5 section 5.3.2 defines approved sources of actual QNH as ATC and ATIS except when the aerodrome forecast QNH is provided [such as when the actual aerodrome QNH is not available], AWIS and CASAapproved meteorological observers. In this instance, that would have increased the risk of the starvation of fuel to the No.2 engine late in the approach or on landing due to the low fuel level in the No.2 main wing tank at that time. In the US, FIS is available from four types of service providers and operates independently of ATC, but in some cases will be a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)operated service. Alternatively runway visual range (RVR) is the electronically-recorded visibility at some aerodromes as measured from various stages of the runway - touchdown zone (TDZ), middle of the runway (MID) or end of the runway (END). This resulted in enhancements to Virgins flight planning and flight following policies, re-organisation of the flight following section and expansion of communication infrastructure across the Virgin fleet. ISO 17025) for any of its AWS. In other words, considering the forecasts that did not predict conditions below the alternate minima (0.09 per cent), and all observations below the landing minima (0.99 per cent), in the period 20092013, 10 per cent of the time that the observations were below the landing minima at Mildura Airport, those conditions were not forecast (0.09/0.99). They say that they have conducted their own tests/comparison, and their electronic probe is comparable to mercury. These requests for forecasts and observations ceased when Qantas 735 reached holding waypoint BLACK. The captain had also held Training Captain/Approved Testing Officer approvals since April 2003. a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment. The BoM simply ignores the issues that have been literally documented. - Occurs when the centre tank quantity is greater than 726 kg (1,600 lbs), both centre tank pumps are producing low or no pressure and either engine is running. An AWIS is a transmission of actual weather conditions, as measured by automatic weather stations (AWS),[25] via either telephone or radio broadcast from selected sites. So why are they doing the parallel observations? This aircraft, registered VH-VYK and operated by Qantas, was en route from Sydney, New South Wales to Adelaide before also diverting to Mildura. Good to see you still plodding on with this Jennifer. This precluded a full understanding of what factors may have contributed to the crew of Velocity 1384 missing this report. It should be noted that ATC will only provide FIS to aircraft within 1 hours flight time of the destination or condition and, as the provision of FIS is workload dependent, pilots should not rely on this service in order to become aware of changes at their destination. After informing the BoM of this omission, I have been told it is being looked-into that the relevant officer will follow-up on the missing month of data. This was to examine the typical level of assistance provided by ATC around the time of the occurrence for any systemic issues. Ltd. and Qantas Airways Ltd. There is no regulatory requirement to carry alternate aerodrome fuel in the case of a code grey forecast and they are not routinely referred to by short haul flight crew or in the construction of flight plans for short haul domestic operations. The FCTM cautioned against conducting fuel balancing activities during approach or times of high workload and further states that fuel balancing is to reduce wear and tear on the airframe and landing gear, and not for controllability reasons. [2] The fuel on board at take-off from Brisbane was 8,800 kg as recorded on the flight data recorder. As MATS did not require the provision of SPECI reports at airports that have an ABS such as AWIS, in order for pilots to become aware of a deterioration, they must either access the AWIS or request those observations from ATC. However, this service was not guaranteed and as such, the responsibility for checking the weather enroute remained with the pilot in command but may be assisted by the operators flight operations personnel in some cases. This assessment resulted in the controller passing the latest SPECI for Mildura to all of the aircraft on frequency at 0935, which included Velocity 1384 and Qantas735. Then, to discover new sampling stations are in different locations from the older ones but are assumed to be the same for temperature measurements is almost unbelievable. Cloud remained overcast at 100 ft. This included broken cloud at 600ft above ground level (AGL), which was below the alternate minima for Mildura. Therefore, crews may have been alerted on more than the 117 occurrences identified. The availability of SPECI from an ABS meets the requirement for in-flight information service. The 0303 TAF was computed on that basis. The information contained in this web update is released in accordance with section25of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 and is derived from the initial investigation of the occurrence. The manual gave the following guidance to crew in order to ensure compliance: Once airborne, the amount of fuel onboard the aircraft at any point inflight should not be less than: In relation to in-flight fuel checks, it further stated: If sufficient fuel does not remain on board at the PNR [Point of No Return] to allow continued flight to the destination in accordance with the inflight fuel requirements, a diversion shall be made to an aerodrome which satisfies the inflight fuel requirements. Conversely, if crew are not aware, or primed, of a situation they may not recognise relevant information that could assist their decision making. It was also noted at the forum that, while ACARS equipment is widely fitted and used on large jet aircraft, not all Australian airline fleets are equipped with ACARS. AIP GEN 3.5 Section 10.2.1 stated that to the extent possible, controllers will issue pertinent information of weather and [stipulated] areas and assist pilots in avoiding such areas if requested. The search identified 160 occurrences, and that in 117 of these occurrences the crew received an alert of the deterioration from either ATC or the operators flight watch service. At the time the amended TAF was issued at 0700, Velocity 1384 was at FL 400 in the cruise, about 150 NM (278 km) from Brisbane. This resulted in the need for both Qantas 735 and Velocity 1384 to land in conditions that were below minima. In such cases there is a residual risk that the aircraft may be compelled to land in conditions below the landing minima. In New Zealand, FIS is defined as: 3.3.7 FIS will include the provision of available and relevant information concerning: (b) weather conditions reported or forecast, at departure, destination, and alternative aerodromes; (Table GEN 3.3-3 lists aerodrome MET information available in-flight on request from ATS). I have gone over some of the design steps that would need to be done and they are too complicated to trust without checking. It is also not necessarily fitted in smaller jet and nonjet aircraft. Critical to the assurance of safe flight, all elements of the aviation system including weather services, air traffic services, aircraft operators and flight crews need to have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in that system. While it is official BoM policy to ensure that there is approximately five-years of overlapping parallel data when there is a site move or equipment change at an official weather station, this policy appears to be rarely implemented. Nevertheless, the underpinning principle that the primary function of ATS is the safe separation of aircraft, with weather avoidance as an additional service subject to workload, is consistent with the system in Australia. Despite the fact that the crew of Velocity 1384 did not seek the weather information for Adelaide Airport, it is probable that had they become aware of the fog on the 0800 Adelaide TTF and its forecast clearance from 0900, they would have elected to continue to Adelaide. At 0820, Qantas735reached their latest point of safe diversion back to Sydney. It is broadcast automatically and continuously and contains information required for takeoff and landing. Slight chance of a shower. Due to poor weather in Adelaide, both aircraft were forced to divert to an alternate airport (Mildura, Victoria). After the aircraft reached top of climb and the sterile cockpit period ended, flight watch sent a message via the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system stating that the amended TAF now indicated a 30 per cent chance of fog, providing an overview of the conditions at Adelaide Airport and advising that the TTF forecast no significant change during its validity period. As a result of stakeholder input during the report review process, the ATSB considered the potential safety benefit of the installation of CATIII B autoland facilities at all Australian major airports. Do they do that at all? Whomsoever is in charge of this outfit must be a cowboy, and the workers presumably lazy cattle hands who just go with the flow. What was unusual about the occurrence involving the A320 was that the advection of fog moved in from the north at a greater speed than the surface wind. ATSB Recommendation No: AO-2013-100-SR-057. This could be reduced to 1,133 ft if the actual aerodrome QNH was used (see below), although the visibility requirement remained at 6km. Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS). Really? When the change is anticipated to be prolonged, the Hazard Alert prefix continues to be used in broadcasts repeated at H+15 and H+45 in the hour following the initial transmission. The FO replied that they did not have the fuel to proceed anywhere else. These deteriorations resulted in an increase in the number of in-flight diversions and therefore ATC workload. This showed that Qantas 735 could hold until about 1020, 10minutes short of the requirement. VH-YIR was fitted with satellite communications (SATCOM) equipment that supported telephone and ACARS equipment. This comprised flight fuel to Adelaide of 6,410 kg, variable and fixed fuel reserves of 1,540 kg and additional fuel of 940 kg. However, fog had been forecast for both Edinburgh and Parafield airports. The captain was the pilot flying, with the FO as pilot monitoring. On this basis, the decision was made that, given Velocity 1384 was planned to arrive at Adelaide at 0920, they would not be affected by the fog. At about 2350 WST, when the flight crew commenced descent, the aircraft passed the point where it had sufficient fuel to divert to Learmonth, Western Australia. FL400 equates to 40,000 ft. Given the prevalence of AWIS at many nonmajor airports in Australia, there remains a risk that, given this 30-minute gap in the availability of weather reports, pilots will not be made aware of significant weather deteriorations at these airports in sufficient time to support their in-flight decision making. The diversion was based, in part, on weather observation reports at Mildura indicating the weather was better than forecast. The BoM reported that fog was not included in the 0700 TTF as the surface winds did not support the formation of fog. In addition, once the controllers workload decreased, they commenced passing the latest SPECI and amended TAF information to aircraft at Mildura. A radio transmitter at a known location, used as a navigational aid. The closing date for feedback is 29 January 2016. This magazine was produced by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and distributed to pilots and other aviation personnel. At this time, a SPECI was issued for Mildura, showing visibility was now 900 m in fog and that the cloud was overcast at 100 ft AGL. 0. - Inhibited when centre tank quantity is less than 363 kg (800 lbs). LOW VIS PROCSWND: 360/5, MAX DW 5 KTS.VIS: 500M IN FOGCLD: FEW015TMP: 7.QNH: 1021, SPECI YMIA 172318Z 22004KT 9999 BKN002 SCT041 08/06 Q1019RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 172328Z 21006KT 5000 BR BKN002 07/07 Q1019RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 172330Z 21006KT 3300 BR BKN002 07/07 Q1019RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 172332Z 20007KT 2100 BR BKN002 07/07 Q1019RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 172348Z 19007KT 0900 FG OVC001 07/07 Q1019RMK RF00.0/000.0, TAF AMD YMIA 172352Z 1800/181220007KT 3000 BR SCT003 BKN040BECMG 1800/1801 19006KT 9999 SCT030 SCT050PROB30 1800/1802 0500 FG BKN002RMKT 07 11 13 10 Q 1019 1019 1019 1020, SPECI YMIA 172356Z 21007KT 0400 FG OVC001 07/07 Q1020RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 180000Z 20006KT 0300 FG OVC001 07/07 Q1020RMK RF00.0/000.0, SPECI YMIA 180011Z 20006KT 0200 FG OVC001 07/07 Q1020RMK RF00.0/000.0, cloud ceiling is measured from landing wheel height above the threshold and expressed as a decision height in feet. While the crew was manoeuvring the aircraft for an approach to runway 34L at Sydney, the fog moved across the threshold of that runway reducing visibility to below the landing minima. The MATS, current as at 15 March 2007, indicated that FIS was to be provided to all aircraft that were being provided with an ATC service, or were otherwise known to the relevant ATC unit. Automatic En Route Information Service (AERIS). The flight crew of Velocity 1384 did not obtain updated weather information for Adelaide while en route and were therefore unaware of the weather deterioration affecting the airport, limiting the options and time available to plan a diversion to an alternate destination airport. This predicted clearing time was also used by the flight following personnel at Virgin to inform their decision not to pass the 0800 TTF to the crew of Velocity 1384.
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