FAA · Safety Alerts for Operators (SAFO)
SAFO 09016: Rejected Landing Due to Loss of Visibility
In Brief
What It Addresses
To emphasize to operators and flightcrews the importance of recognizing and acting on rapidly deteriorating weather conditions in regards to landings.
Why It Matters
On February 18, 2007, an Embraer ERJ-170 operated by Shuttle America overran the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, Ohio while landing in snowy conditions with rapidly deteriorating visibility.
Recommended Action
Directors of safety, directors of operations, chief pilots, check airmen, pilot instructors, and line pilots of certificate holders should become familiar with the content of this SAFO and understand that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends this training be required. The FAA will poll operators in the coming six months to discern their implementation.
From the Document: selected source passages, quoted as written, for a quick overview.
SAFOSafety Alert for Operators
U.S. Department SAFO 09016
of Transportation DATE: 10/20/09
Federal Aviation
Administration Flight Standards Service
Washington, DC http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/safo A SAFO contains important safety information and may include recommended action. SAFO content should be especially valuable to air carriers in meeting their statutory duty to provide service with the highest possible degree of safety in the public interest. Besides the specific action recommended in a SAFO, an alternative action may be as effective in addressing the safety issue named in the SAFO.
Subject: Rejected Landing Due to Loss of Visibility
Purpose: To emphasize to operators and flightcrews the importance of recognizing and acting on rapidly deteriorating weather conditions in regards to landings.
Background: On February 18, 2007, an Embraer ERJ-170 operated by Shuttle America overran the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, Ohio while landing in snowy conditions with rapidly deteriorating visibility.
Discussion: In some cases pilots may need to reject a landing due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions which reduce the visibility required for a safe landing. Operator flightcrew training programs should emphasize the importance of recognizing deteriorating weather conditions, conditions necessitating rejecting landings, and should ensure that pilots are familiar with the decision making process necessary to determine the need for a rejected a landing.
Recommended Action: Directors of safety, directors of operations, chief pilots, check airmen, pilot instructors, and line pilots of certificate holders should become familiar with the content of this SAFO and understand that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends this training be required. The FAA will poll operators in the coming six months to discern their implementation.
Operators are encouraged to emphasize the requirements of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 91, § 91.175, Takeoff and Landing Under IFR, which requires that a pilot executes a missed approach if the visibility falls below that required for the approach being flown and the pilot loses sight of the runway of intended landing.
Operators are requested to introduce rejected landing scenarios during training, checking, and currency simulator sessions which would require flightcrews to perform a rejected landing procedure based on the loss of visual cues occurring after establishing visual contact with the runway and below 100 feet height above touchdown (HAT) in the landing phase.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requests that these scenarios emphasize and reinforce the flightcrew decision making process which may lead to a rejected landing due to deteriorating visibility conditions.
Contact: Questions or comments concerning this SAFO should be addressed to the Air Transportation Division, AFS-200, (202) 267-9836.
Distributed by: AFS-200 OPR: AFS-200
Source: Federal Aviation Administration — www.faa.gov. Reproduced from the published record; FlightPush adds formatting only.
SAFO 09016