What happened
On 21 December 2023, a Boeing 787-8, registration G-TUIB, was conducting a commercial passenger flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Manchester Airport. Due to forecasted high winds, the crew had loaded an additional 984 kg of fuel. Upon entering UK airspace, the aircraft was placed in a hold at Manchester due to significant weather disruption and a long queue of arrivals.
As the crew observed other aircraft experiencing windshear and high winds at Manchester, they requested a diversion to their nominated alternate, East Midlands Airport. However, East Midlands ATC initially declined the diversion, stating they could not accept an aircraft of that size. The crew subsequently diverted to Birmingham Airport.
During the final approach at Birmingham, the aircraft encountered a windshear warning at 240 ft agl, necessitating a missed approach. Following this, the crew declared a fuel emergency. During the subsequent approach, the aircraft was vectored on an extended track behind another aircraft, resulting in the use of more fuel than anticipated. The aircraft eventually landed with 1,250 kg of fuel remaining, which was below the required final reserve fuel of 1,911 kg.
The investigation
The investigation examined the fuel planning, the communication between ATC units, and the handling of the emergency. It was established that the initial refusal by East Midlands ATC was due to a breakdown in internal communication regarding ground handling capacity. Furthermore, while the crew declared a fuel emergency, the investigation found that the Birmingham Director controller, facing a high workload, sequenced another aircraft ahead of G-T0UIB, causing the aircraft to fly an additional 28 nm beyond the originally estimated track.
Findings
- The primary cause of the fuel depletion was the extended track flown following the missed approach due to a missed opportunity to prioritise the emergency aircraft.
- The crew's decision to divert was prompted by the high wind conditions and the observed windshear experienced by other aircraft at Manchester.
- A breakdown in communication at East Midlands Airport led to the incorrect rejection of the initial diversion request.
- The aircraft landed with fuel levels below the planned final reserve due to the increased flight distance during the second approach.
Safety action
- East Midlands ATC has clarified that the Centre Control Room is the sole authority for communicating aircraft acceptance capacity to ATC.
- Birmingham ATC issued a safety bulletin emphasizing that aircraft declaring an emergency must be provided with flight priority and an uninterrupted approach, including the consideration of runway sterilisation.