Transcript Avoiding Hard Landings

Presented by:
Capt. Marc PARISIS
Head of Flight and Cabin Crew Training
Avoiding Hard Landings
Content
 Hard Landings definition, detection, classification
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
 Avoiding Hard Landings
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Content
 Hard Landings definition, detection, classification
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
 Avoiding Hard Landings
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Definition of Hard Landing : Pilot’s point of view
• Pilots judge subjectively and comparatively the landings
as being:
Soft – Normal – Firm – Hard
• Subjectively = modified or affected by personal views,
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experience, or background
• Comparatively = In a relative manner; by comparison to
something else
“Hard landing suspected”: when the pilot decide that
a structural examination is necessary
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Hard Landing information : Maintenance’s side
• Maintenance uses objective data to classify the landings
Recorded
vertical acceleration at aircraft CG
Recorded vertical speed using Radio Altimeter data
VERT
ACC
(g)
Severe
Hard
Landing
• Limit values will depend of:
aircraft
types and standards
Quality of recorded parameters
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Hard
Landing
Normal
Landing
VERT Speed
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
Load Report
LOAD REPORT <15>
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Classification of the landing by maintenance
After a suspected hard landing:
• Classification of the landing using the Load Report
Normal
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Hard
landing confirmed = perform inspection
Severe
Load
landing = no actions required
Hard Landing confirmed = AOG contact Airbus
Report not available = perform inspection
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Hard Landing confirmed: Maintenance inspection
Inspection is divided in different phases
• Phase 1: general inspection for primary damage and
indication of remote damage (mainly external)
damage = perform further inspection (phase 2) and
required maintenance actions.
If no damage = end of inspection
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If
• No damage = Aircraft can temporarily return to service
Grace
period (e.g. 30 days or 100 - 200 cycles)
Waiting for further elaborated analysis of the event by Airbus
Required structural strength is maintained
Risk is only stress corrosion (e.g. gear not achieving full life)
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Identification of Hard Landing
Pilot:
Subjective judgment
Maintenance: Objective but incomplete data
Maintenance
system only covers straightforward hard
landing events
– Rebounds, drift landing, landing with roll and high derotation on nose
landing gear are not addressed by the current logic
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Pilot
should provide additional information on landing
conditions
– Cockpit instrument indications, aircraft weight, quantity of fuel in each tank
– If the touchdown was on main gears or on main and nose gears, or fast
derotation of the nose gear.
– If the landing was straight, drifting, unsymmetrical, bounced,
– If the crew heard a noise possibly related to a structural failure
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Identification of Hard Landing: New problem
• The pilots’ perception judgment and reporting has proven
to be effective
• However, the perception of the severity of the landing is
not so obvious for:
Long
aircraft
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Flexible
aircraft
Complex
landing gear system
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Future: Hard Landing Detector
• Design of new automatic self-reliant system with specific
sensors and adapted high synchronized sampling rate
• This future system should
a rapid and direct “Go” OR “No Go and inspect”
decision for all circumstances
Indicate which part of the aircraft has been impacted and to
which level
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Provide
• Medium term (during development of this self-reliant system)
Use
selected data from this system to enhance the pilots’
conventional evaluation and reporting of the landings (data
should be provided in a suitable way to be used directly by
the pilots)
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Today situation
• The primary source of identifying a suspected hard landing
is the flight crew
• It is flight crew’s duty to detect and report a suspected hard
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landing
• Airbus recommends the active use of the Load Report15
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Content
 Hard Landings definition, detection, classification
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
 Avoiding Hard Landings
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Main sources of Hard Landings
• Hard landings usually result directly from:
Non-stabilized
approaches
Inappropriate approach speed
Destabilization of the approach in the last 100 ft
Incorrect flare techniques
Incorrect derotation techniques (nose landing gear)
• And subsequently from:
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Reluctance
to perform a go-around
Dual sidestick inputs
Bounce at landing incorrect recovery techniques
Contributing
conditions are:
– Crosswind, Windshear or downburst
– Limited runway
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Flying stabilized approaches
Rushed and non-stabilized approaches are one of the main
sources of hard landings
• Refer to the Flight Operations Briefing Notes
“Flying Stabilized Approaches”
“Aircraft Energy Management during Approach”
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• If the aircraft is not stabilized at:
1000
feet in IMC, or
500 feet in VMC, or
as restricted by Operator policy/regulations,
a go-around must be initiated.
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
Flying stabilized approaches
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Approach speed
• Determination of approach speed
In
most cases, the FMGS provides valuable VAPP on MCDU
PERF APPR page once tower wind and landing configuration
has been inserted
The flight crew can insert a higher VAPP in case of strong
suspected downburst, or gusty crosswind greater than 20
knots but this increment is limited to 15 kt above VLS
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• Managed speed should be used
Managed
speed provides Ground Speed mini (GS mini)
guidance, even when the VAPP has been manually inserted
“Ground Speed mini” function will keep the aircraft energy
level above a minimum value, whatever the wind variations
or gusts.
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Destabilization of the approach in the last 100 ft
Common errors
• Descending below the final path ("duck under")
• Reducing the drift too early
• Autopilot disconnection
should disconnect the AP early enough to resume
manual control of the aircraft and to evaluate the drift before
flare.
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Pilot
• High sink rate avoidance
In
the very late stages of the approach, priority should be
given to attitude and sink rate. If normal touchdown distance
is not possible perform a go-around
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Flare techniques
• Flare height varies with different parameters such as weight,
rate of descent, wind variations, …
• Avoid under flaring.
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The
rate of descent must be controlled prior to the initiation of
the flare (rate not increasing)
Start the flare with positive backpressure on the sidestick and
holding as necessary
Avoid forward stick movement once flare initiated (releasing
back-pressure is acceptable)
• Retard thrust levers when best adapted
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Derotation techniques – Fly the nose down
• When the aircraft is on the ground, pitch and roll control
operates in Direct Law.
Derotation
is conventional
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• Fly the nose down smoothly, but with no delay
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Reluctance to perform a go-around
• Go-around is possible at anytime until the selection of the
reverse
• Even if a late go-around will not avoid the contact with the
runway it should soften it and could avoid a hard touch
• Once the go-around has been initiated it must be
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completed
Reversing
a go-around decision is hazardous
– e.g. F/o initiating a late go-around; Captain overriding and trying
to land the aircraft
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Dual sidestick inputs
• The basic task sharing principle for any aircraft operation is
that one pilot is PF at a time
If
the PNF feels he must intervene, he should press the
Priority P/B while calling “I have controls”
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• “Instinctive” Dual Input: instinctive reactions on the
sidestick by the PNF surprised by the development of a
dynamic situation
• In prolonged “Dual Input” situation : both PF and PNF will
be aware of the dual input situation by the light and aural
indicators.
it
is to the Captain to take over by pressing the Priority P/B
while saying “I have controls”
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
Bounce at landing
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Bounce at landing
Flight Operations Briefing Notes
“Bounce Recovery - Rejected Landing”
Bounce at landing
pitch attitude (freeze and control the pitch)
Keep thrust idle
Do not increase pitch (tail strike)
Complete the landing
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Maintain
Strong bounce → Go Around
Go
around maintaining pitch attitude
Keep flaps ; keep landing gear
Only when positive climb is properly established
– Flaps one step and Landing Gear up
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
Crosswind landings
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Crosswind landings
Flight Operations Briefing Notes
“Landing Techniques – Crosswind landings”
• Final approach with crosswind drift correction with wings
level (crabbed-approach)
• During the flare, rudder should be applied as required to
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align the aircraft with the runway. Any tendency to drift
downwind should be counteracted by an appropriate roll
input on the sidestick
• In case of very strong crosswind, combination of the partial
de-crab and wing down techniques may be required
Aircraft
can be landed with a residual drift (max 5°) to
prevent an excessive bank (max 5°)
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Windshear – Down burst: Apply FCOM procedures
• Delay landing, or divert to another airport, until conditions
are more favorable
Select
the most favorable runway, in conjunction with the
most appropriate runway approach aid
Select Flaps 3
Use managed speed in approach phase
• Recovery techniques
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Set
thrust levers to TOGA.
If the autopilot is engaged, use it (be aware that automatic
disengagement may occur)
Follow SRS orders.
Do not change configuration
Closely monitor the flight path and speed
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Avoiding Hard Landing – Airbus documentation
• Airbus Operational and Training documentation
– FCTM
FCOM Bulletin N°819 “Avoiding Hard Landings” for LR
FCOM
• Additional documentation
Flight
Operations Briefing Notes
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• An e-briefing for pilots dedicated to hard landing
prevention is available:
Specific
presentations
Specific videos
Operational and Training documentation references
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
Conclusion
• It is pilot’s duty to detect and report
a suspected Hard Landing
• Hard landings usually result directly from:
approaches
Inappropriate approach speed
Destabilization of the approach in the last 100 ft
Incorrect flare techniques
Incorrect derotation techniques (nose landing gear)
© AIRBUS S.A.S. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.
Non-stabilized
• And subsequently from:
Reluctance
to perform a go-around
Dual sidestick inputs
Bounce at landing incorrect recovery techniques
Avoiding Hard Landings - 15th Performance & Operations conference
April 2007
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