What happened
On February 9, 2020, a Boeing 737-800-8AS, registration SP-RSA, was operating a commercial passenger flight from Warsaw-Modlin (EPMO) to Beauvais-Tillé (LFOB). During the flight, the crew was informed that the destination airport was not accepting landings due to operational constraints, requiring them to enter a holding pattern.
As the flight progressed, the crew evaluated several alternate airports. The primary planned alternate, Lille (LFQQ), became unavailable due to weather, and other nearby airports, including Brussels (EBBR) and Charleroi (EBCI), were unavailable due to high traffic volume and lack of parking stands. The crew eventually selected Nantes Atlantique (LFRS) as an alternative.
During the approach to LFRS, the crew performed a missed approach after visibility dropped below required minimums. On the subsequent second approach, a positive windshear event during the flare resulted in a soft landing, prompting the crew to execute a go-around. During the preparations for a third approach, the crew noted that the preceding aircraft had also aborted its approach due to visibility issues.
Faced with rapidly depleting fuel, the crew decided to divert to the next available option, LFRN. During the climb to 10,000 ft, the Flight Management Computer (FMC) indicated that the remaining fuel was reaching the reserve limit. At approximately 17:10 UTC, the crew declared a MAYDAY FUEL emergency. Air Traffic Control (ATC) provided vectors to shorten the approach. The aircraft landed safely at LFRN, with 910 kg of fuel remaining on the runway and 810 kg remaining after shutdown.
The investigation
The PKBWL examined the flight planning, weather conditions at the destination and alternate airports, the sequence of rejected approaches, and the fuel consumption calculations performed by the crew and the FMC.