SPACING PROB OCCURS AT EWR WHEN AN A320 MAKES A CIRCLING APCH AND A B777 MAKES A STRAIGHT-IN APCH RESULTING IN A SIMULTANEOUS GAR SIT.
Synopsis
SPACING PROB OCCURS AT EWR WHEN AN A320 MAKES A CIRCLING APCH AND A B777 MAKES A STRAIGHT-IN APCH RESULTING IN A SIMULTANEOUS GAR SIT.
Narrative
EWR APCH CTL OFFERED US RWY 22L OR THE SHORTER RWY 29 (6500 FT) FOR LNDG. WE CHOSE RWY 22L. WE WERE ASSIGNED 180 KTS UNTIL THE OM BY APCH CTL. A320 AHEAD OF US WAS FLYING AN ILS RWY 22L CIRCLE TO LAND RWY 29. WINDS WERE 310 DEGS AT 15 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS. WE SWITCHED TO EWR TWR FREQ AND SLOWED TO APCH SPD AT OM. EWR TWR TOLD US TO CONTINUE THE VISUAL ILS RWY 22L; BUT THAT WE WERE NOT CLRED TO LAND. TWR THEN SAID THAT WE MAY HAVE TO GO AROUND IF THE CONVERGING VISUAL APCH DIDN'T HAVE SPACING. WE SAID OK AND THAT WE HAD THE A320 IN SIGHT. I TOLD THE FLYING FO TO PREPARE FOR A GAR AS THE SPACING DID NOT LOOK GOOD TO ME. EWR TWR THEN ASKED US TO DO AN S-TURN (AT ABOUT 3 MI FINAL) SO 'THAT SHOULD MAKE THE SPACING WORK OUT.' FO DID AN S-TURN TO THE R AND THEN BACK TOWARDS THE ILS COURSE. SPACING STILL DID NOT LOOK GOOD SO I TOLD FO TO GO AROUND. AS HE ADVANCED THROTTLES AND BEGAN TO PITCH UP; WE NOTICED THAT THE A320 HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO GO AROUND AND WAS TURNING WITH HIS BELLY TO US INTO OUR GAR PATH. I THEN TOLD THE FO TO GO BACK TO THE APCH AND CONTINUE TO A LNDG; AS THIS SEEMED THE SAFEST PROC. RADIO WAS CLUTTERED WITH GAR CALLS FROM A320; DIRECTIONS TO A320 FROM TWR AND POSSIBLE 1 OTHER ACFT. I CALLED ON SHORT FINAL TO TWR TO 'CONFIRM THAT WE ARE CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 22L.' TWR WAS STILL BUSY TALKING TO OTHER ACFT AND DID NOT RESPOND. WE ELECTED TO LAND AS THE SAFEST PROC; RATHER THAN A GAR IN CLOSE PROX TO THE A320. AFTER PARKING AT THE GATE; I CALLED THE EWR TWR SUPVR ON THE PHONE AND TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THE APCH. HE CONCURRED THAT WE MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND WAS GLAD THAT WE LANDED; RATHER THAN GOING AROUND. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL TRY TO ANTICIPATE THE GND SPD DIFFERENCES BTWN ACFT (IN OUR CASE APPROX 50 KTS DIFFERENCE) AND PLAN TO GO AROUND EARLIER WHEN 'IT JUST DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT WILL WORK.'
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.