History of the Flight
The aircraft was inbound from Glasgow on its fourth sector, with good weather conditions. The crew had briefed for an ILS approach to Runway 09. Upon contacting Bristol approach, they were advised of a wind change and that a preceding aircraft had used Runway 27. The pilots decided to also use Runway 27 and requested a visual approach from the north. The commander, who was pilot flying, disconnected the autopilot and autothrust, switched off the flight directors, selected the flight path vector, and set 2,300 ft in the altitude window of the Flight Control Unit. He turned the aircraft toward a point where the 5 nm range ring (centered on the Runway 09 threshold, possibly not updated) intercepted the centerline of Runway 27. The co-pilot was unaware of the commander's aiming point change. As the aircraft descended, the crews did not refer to the selected altitude. The co-pilot stated the approach looked "a bit tight," which the commander interpreted as being above profile.
The commander turned onto an intercept heading based on perceived threshold lighting. The aircraft passed through 1,800 ft and the first officer, concerned about tracking, looked at the navigation display and realized they were north of the correct track. He stated this to the commander, who reassured him they were "on glide path." The first officer then saw communication masts at Dundry in an unexpected position, confirming the aircraft was north of the centerline. He instructed the commander to go-around, and the commander simultaneously began a go-around. The tower and approach controllers had noted the approach deviated from noise abatement procedures and were about to inform the crew when the missed approach was announced.
Recorded Data
Recorded data from a wireless quick access recorder and the airport noise monitoring system showed the aircraft turned toward Runway 27 approximately 2 nm north of the runway centerline at a slant range of 4.3 nm from the threshold. The aircraft turned 50°, reduced descent rate, and flew level at 1,200 ft for 25 seconds. During the last 10 seconds, the radar altimeter height reduced from 950 ft to 488 ft. The go-around was executed at 2.75 nm slant range, still about 1 nm north of the centerline. The go-around altitude was set in the FCU during the manoeuvre. The aircraft then repositioned for an ILS approach to Runway 27 and landed safely.
Analysis
The crew made a late change to their briefed approach but did not update their brief, leaving the co-pilot unaware of the commander's intended plan. The commander likely did not update the 5 nm range ring from being centered on Runway 09 to Runway 27, which may have led to positioning too close to the threshold. Both crew members lost situational awareness but did not communicate this to each other until the co-pilot called for a go-around. The go-around altitude was not set until the go-around commenced, indicating the landing checklist may not have been completed or was not completed satisfactorily.