AN A319 PLT PERFORMING VOR APCHS TO JFK RWYS 22L AND 13L NOTICED THAT COMPUTER PROGRAMMED ALTS WERE 200 FT LOW AT THE FINAL APCH FIX ON BOTH APCHS.
Synopsis
AN A319 PLT PERFORMING VOR APCHS TO JFK RWYS 22L AND 13L NOTICED THAT COMPUTER PROGRAMMED ALTS WERE 200 FT LOW AT THE FINAL APCH FIX ON BOTH APCHS.
Narrative
THIS PROB RELATES TO THE WAY THE AIRBUS FLIES A MANAGED VOR APCH TO JFK. WE WERE VECTORED TO THE VOR RWY 22L APCH. THE CAPT WAS THE PF. CONDITIONS WERE VFR. ON BASE LEG WE WERE CLRED DIRECT WUGAL AT 2000 FT AND CLRED FOR THE VOR RWY 22L. THE CAPT FOLLOWED THE QRH VERBATIM. WUGAL WAS THE TO WAYPOINT. WE CROSSED WUGAL AT 2000 FT; AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER FINAL ENGAGED. THE AUTOPLT FLEW ON COURSE AND ON THE VERT PROFILE. TO MY SURPRISE THE AIRPLANE CROSSED RUSHY (THE FAF) AT APPROX 1200 FT. THIS WAS 200 FT LOW! WE WERE ON THE VERT PROFILE. WE CONTINUED BECAUSE WE WERE VFR. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED ON THE VERT PROFILE; AND WE COULD SEE THAT WE WERE BELOW THE VASI. THE CAPT DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT BEFORE THE 'DDA;' AND CONTINUED A VISUAL APCH TO LNDG. THE AIRPLANE CAPTURED FINAL OUTSIDE RUSHY AND FLEW A VERT PROFILE OF ABOUT 2.9 DEGS. THE APCH PLATE SHOWS A 3.14 DEG PROFILE FROM RUSHY. WE REVIEWED VOLUME 3 AND IT STATES TO MONITOR COMPLIANCE WITH ANY STEP-DOWN FIX RESTRS. IT DOESN'T TELL YOU WHAT TO DO IF IT CROSSES A FIX LOW. A MISSED APCH IS THE ONLY OPTION. IF YOU SELECT VERT SPD ZERO TO MAKE THE XING RESTR; THEN USE 'FPA' TO RECAPTURE THE VERT PROFILE; THE VERT PROFILE BRINGS YOU IN BELOW THE VASI (AT 2.9 DEGS INSTEAD OF 3.14 DEGS). DURING TRAINING IN THE SIMULATOR; I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME PROB. WE HAVE ALWAYS CONTINUED THE APCH WITH THE INSTRUCTOR SAYING IT WAS A 'SIM-ISM.' THIS IS NEGATIVE TRAINING! ALSO; THIS PROB IS NOT LIMITED TO THE SIMULATOR! IT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE VOR RWY 22L AT JFK EITHER. FROM LAX TO JFK; THE ACFT CROSSED CRI LOW ON THE VOR RWY 13L APCH TO JFK. VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED AND I CONTINUED VISUALLY TO A LNDG. PLEASE LOOK INTO HOW THE VERT PROFILE IS PROGRAMMED INTO THE COMPUTER ON THE AIRBUS. THESE 2 APCHS ARE WRONG.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.