Post by walterleo on Oct 7, 2018 9:16:39 GMT
"Nightowl" or in Mexican language "tecolote" was called an airline flight arriving in Mexico City late at night. It was Western Airlines flight 2605 which arrived in 70s around 6 hours in the morning coming from LAX.
In octuber 1979 reforms on MMMX Rwy 23 L/ 05 R were planned. So a Notam came out that this runway is closed. As only this runway has ILS installed, the paralell Rwy 23 R 05 L had to be used and that would mean a side step procedure from the ILS 23 L to the paralell runway 23 R.
But the reforms of runway 23 l/ 05 R actually started on 31 october 1979. The same day Western Airlines Flight 2605 arrived at VOR Lucia around 5:40 and was cleared for the Tepexpan arrival landing 23 R.
to the ILS RWY 23 L with landing on 23 R. But the term "side step" was not used as in Mexico this term was not common. The last weather report at 05.00 had indicated a still acceptable visibility for a circling at Rwy 23L/R, but at 06:00 the visibilty was ZERO.
We join the flight holding at LUCIA VOR at around 05.40:
The tower controler mentioned fog patches:
Passing Tepexpan NDB the crew hasted through the approach checks and had to handfly joining the ILS as the runway is only 10 nm away and the turn required is 90 deg. The AP of the DC-10 was not able to master that.
They managed to intercept the ILS more or less and were advised to land on 23 RIGHT.
They expected to see that at circling minimums:
But inside the fog patch the visibilty was NIL, the crew was discussing what RWY they were cleared, left out the mandatory altitude calls and were announicing in a non urgent voice to go around.
But at that moment they touched down hard (2 G) left of RWY 23 L,
applied Go around power and pitched up 11 deg and hit a lorry working on RWY 23 L, the airplane banked to the right hit an excavator and crashed into the terminal building.
From the 88 persons on board 77 died and 16 survived, on ground the truck driver was dead also.
In the aftermath of that accident bitter discussions arose why the crew had so badly performed, if the Mexican controlers had given incorrect clearings and weather reports and if the appraoch lights of the closed runway were on.
As the official accident report claimed pilots error alone but hinted on bad documentation of side step procedures the ALPA (the Airline Pilots Association) made their own report and put emphasis on fatique of the crew as a big contributing factor.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Airlines_Flight_2605#Accident_investigations
books.google.at/books?id=8BVI6sNpT4wC&pg=PA100&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
The factor crew fatique is till today present in many accidents and incidents.
Kind regards
Walter
In octuber 1979 reforms on MMMX Rwy 23 L/ 05 R were planned. So a Notam came out that this runway is closed. As only this runway has ILS installed, the paralell Rwy 23 R 05 L had to be used and that would mean a side step procedure from the ILS 23 L to the paralell runway 23 R.
But the reforms of runway 23 l/ 05 R actually started on 31 october 1979. The same day Western Airlines Flight 2605 arrived at VOR Lucia around 5:40 and was cleared for the Tepexpan arrival landing 23 R.
to the ILS RWY 23 L with landing on 23 R. But the term "side step" was not used as in Mexico this term was not common. The last weather report at 05.00 had indicated a still acceptable visibility for a circling at Rwy 23L/R, but at 06:00 the visibilty was ZERO.
We join the flight holding at LUCIA VOR at around 05.40:
The tower controler mentioned fog patches:
Passing Tepexpan NDB the crew hasted through the approach checks and had to handfly joining the ILS as the runway is only 10 nm away and the turn required is 90 deg. The AP of the DC-10 was not able to master that.
They managed to intercept the ILS more or less and were advised to land on 23 RIGHT.
They expected to see that at circling minimums:
But inside the fog patch the visibilty was NIL, the crew was discussing what RWY they were cleared, left out the mandatory altitude calls and were announicing in a non urgent voice to go around.
But at that moment they touched down hard (2 G) left of RWY 23 L,
applied Go around power and pitched up 11 deg and hit a lorry working on RWY 23 L, the airplane banked to the right hit an excavator and crashed into the terminal building.
From the 88 persons on board 77 died and 16 survived, on ground the truck driver was dead also.
In the aftermath of that accident bitter discussions arose why the crew had so badly performed, if the Mexican controlers had given incorrect clearings and weather reports and if the appraoch lights of the closed runway were on.
As the official accident report claimed pilots error alone but hinted on bad documentation of side step procedures the ALPA (the Airline Pilots Association) made their own report and put emphasis on fatique of the crew as a big contributing factor.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Airlines_Flight_2605#Accident_investigations
books.google.at/books?id=8BVI6sNpT4wC&pg=PA100&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
The factor crew fatique is till today present in many accidents and incidents.
Kind regards
Walter
