What happened
On 26 August 2019, an Airbus A320-216, registration EC-KLT, was performing a commercial passenger flight from Barcelona to Birmingham. During the RNAV2 approach to Runway 33, the crew failed to descend at the appropriate time, resulting in the aircraft being significantly above the required profile. This led to a missed approach. During the subsequent second approach, the crew attempted to avoid a second go-around by performing a turn instead. However, the aircraft was not properly configured for the maneuver; the landing gear remained down and the engines were not set to the appropriate thrust mode. This caused the aircraft to pitch up and decelerate until the alpha floor energy protection mode automatically applied maximum thrust to prevent a stall.
In a separate occurrence on 20 December 2019, the same aircraft type and operator were involved in a localiser/DME approach at the same airport. The crew, unsure of the correct descent point, delayed their descent, causing the aircraft to remain above the profile and necessitating a missed approach. During the second attempt, the crew used a flight control mode with which they were unfamiliar to manage the vertical path, leading to the aircraft descending significantly below the correct profile before eventually landing.
The investigation
The AAIB examined both events, noting that in both instances, the pilots struggled to maintain the correct vertical profile. The investigation found that discrepancies between the UK Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) and the operator's own charts regarding descent points contributed to the confusion. In the August incident, the crew's failure to manage speed and the decision to change the approach type increased workload and pressure. In the December incident, the lack of a glideslope on the localiser/DME approach, combined with the use of an unfamiliar flight mode, led to a loss of situational awareness.
Findings
- The aircraft failed to maintain the correct vertical profile because the pilots were uncertain when to initiate the final descent.
- Discrepancies between official AIP charts and operator-provided charts regarding approach profiles contributed to pilot uncertainty.
- The crew's failure to properly configure the aircraft for a go-around during the first incident triggered the alpha floor protection mode.
- High workload and the pressure to avoid passenger alarm influenced the crew's decision-making during the August event.
- In the December event, the use of an unfamiliar flight control mode and the absence of a glideslope contributed to the aircraft descending below the safe approach path.