Incident Overview
On 20 March 2017, a SAAB-340 aircraft was conducting a flight from EGPB to EGPA (Kirkwall). During the approach procedure, specifically an arc procedure for the ILS runway 27, the aircraft was observed to be at a distance of 11 NM from the runway at an altitude approximately 1600 ft, lower than prescribed by the procedure. Simultaneously, the crew confirmed an altitude of 1900 ft. After landing, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) indicated that the barometric altimeter showed 960 ft (airport elevation is 58 ft).
Probable Cause
The cause of the incident was identified as a crew error: failure to reset the altimeter to QNH pressure, and a lack of cockpit control due to incomplete execution of the Approach Checklist.
Preventive Actions
The Polish State Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation (PKBWL) reported that crews were informed of the incident via an electronic bulletin. The Operations Manager was instructed to ensure that all crews sent to operate in the UK were thoroughly prepared for planned operations and conducted self-briefings on airport knowledge in accordance with Part D of the operations manual. It was also established that flight schedules should ensure at least one pilot had prior experience with Loganair operations. Crews were familiarized with UK procedures and provided with publications including UK AIP Enr 1, CAP 774, and CAP 413.
No safety recommendations were formulated.