Data from the aircrafts flight data recorder (FDR) showed that at 0933, as Velocity 1384 was on descent to Mildura, a fuel imbalance developed between the main wing tanks (No.1 and No. At around 0900, weather instrumentation at Mildura Airport started to indicate patches of low cloud around 400 ft AGL and a visual satellite image indicated a bank of low cloud south of the airport. The B737-800 is equipped with three fuel tanks. Although no safety issue was identified by the ATSB, the Bureau of Meteorology advised of the following safety action in response to this occurrence: Although the TTF and TAF are forecasts for the same aerodrome, they convey different information concerning the probability and timing of meteorological phenomena. During the forum, it was apparent that there was an expectation by pilots that they would be told of any significant deterioration in weather by ATC. MILDURA AIRPORT . They do not adjust the data for differences in devices as they do not adjust the data for UHI. At interview, the first officer (FO) of Velocity1384 confirmed that this was their understanding of the flight following service for domestic operations. This project aims to develop a new national climatological interface for the display and interpretation of climate information at aerodromes and key aviation locations (due to be completed in 2017). The captain was the pilot flying, with the FO as pilot monitoring. ATC asked them to nominate a latest divert time to proceed to a suitable airport. In response, in December 2008, Airservices conducted a Safety Case Assessment and Reporting Determination (SCARD), which was required whenever: changes to service levels, procedures or equipment, which will affect the performance, functional or technical specification of a system or service; and organisational changes affecting safety accountabilities. When planning for an alternate aerodrome, the policy reflected the requirements of the AIP in that the aerodrome had to be suitable for the flight and had to not itself require an alternate. I suppose we should not be surprised when the public service employs nohopers and pays them better than those sharp shooters in industry. At the time of the A320 occurrence on 20August1999, there had been 11 fog events recorded at Adelaide Airport during 1999. The 0303 TAF was computed on that basis. Given the time of day and expected temperature increase, this was a reasonable assessment. Further information in the MATS stated: Unless the destination is within a control zone, it is the responsibility of the ATS unit within whose area the destination aerodrome is situated to distribute Hazard Alert information relating to the destination. Note: A Suitable Airport may be, in order of priority: an Alternate Airport, following an approach and missed approach at destination, if the destination requires an alternate; or. At 1014, Velocity 1384 landed at Mildura in foggy conditions with fuel below the required reserves. Notwithstanding this industry view, there is a requirement for pilots to obtain all relevant weather information inflight to aid operational decision making. Subsequent TTFs were issued for Adelaide, each extending the predicted time for the fog to clear. Any additional service, such as weather avoidance assistance, can only be provided to the extent that it does not derogate the primary function. This is particularly the case if the sole report is consistent with the current forecast, as in this instance, when the low cloud at Mildura as reported by the air ambulance pilot was already forecast. However, the calculation techniques and reporting frequency are different. a 'live' flight plan), the TTF shall be used in the first instance, providing the flight's scheduled ETA [estimated time of arrival] is within the validity time of the TTF. The crew of Velocity 1384 had commenced their descent to Adelaide and gathered further information about the conditions from the Adelaide tower controller. The Tailem Bend en route sector comprised the airspace from 36 NM (67 km) to 140 NM (259 km) to the east of Adelaide Airport. Figure 3 shows the aircrafts approximate positions at 0900. The first was the change to the AIP itself, which included standard amendment bar marking against each changed, introduced or deleted paragraph or text. Lance Pidgeon. The amendment also introduced the following change regarding the availability of aerodrome weather reports (METAR/SPECI): In addition, when there was a sudden change in pertinent operational information that was not described in a current meteorological product or NOTAM, and the change had an immediate and detrimental effect on the safety of an aircraft, ATC would communicate this change to pilots with the prefix Hazard Alert. On the basis of the weather forecasts at the time the aircraft departed Brisbane, there was no requirement to provide for an alternate airport to Adelaide. And they fail! On 6 April 2004 an Airbus A330 aircraft landed on runway 34L at Sydney Airport in weather conditions that were below the applicable landing minima. The BoM reported that their review of the forecasting used for Mildura on the day of the occurrence showed that the conditions (including wind direction) were not conducive to fog developing at that time of day and were more consistent with the possibility of low cloud. The alternate minima for runway 27 at Mildura for large jet aircraft were 1,233 ft and 6 km if the forecast QNH was used. The visibility and cloud detected by the AWS was broadly consistent with the SPECIs that were available at that time as both were generated from the same data source. It is likely that the fuel pumps for the No. The low pressure system that caused flooding in central QLD earlier this week could soon become a tropical cyclone over The arrival time of Velocity 1384 was planned for 0920, which was after the forecast clearance of the fog. The aircraft was certificated for autoland approaches, but the ground equipment was not. In addition, it was possible for fog to exist at nearby locations, such as at Edinburgh Airport, without operations at Adelaide Airport being affected. A review of Trend Forecast services was undertaken through a consultative process with the aviation industry and the Australian Defence Force. Please use Mid Murray 2% AEP depths (m . The section relating to the provision of FIS was substantially the same as version 7 of the MATS. The team leader on the day was a qualified dispatcher with over 20 years of experience. The BoM, however, claims that temperature measurements from electronic probes are nevertheless comparable with measurements from mercury thermometers because the BoMs purpose-designed probes closely mirror the behaviour of liquid-in-glass thermometers, including the time constant. Sun protection recommended from 9:30 am to 5:50 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 12 [Extreme]. The pilot did not specify the cloud datum, but a comparison of the reported cloud base with the observed cloud base from the Mildura Airport automated station, which was generated 2 minutes later, identified that the reported cloud base was probably with reference to mean sea level. 1h 1d . These included the following products: US AIP GEN 3.5 section 7 described two basic types of FIS, broadcast only, which was called FIS-B and two-way request/reply. ATC, FSSs and, if applicable, AOCC [airline operations control center] VHF/HF voice remain as a redundant method of communicating aviation weather, NOTAMs, and other operational information to aircraft in flight. Mildura Airport had an AWIS that was normally capable of broadcasting on VHF. the potential consequences of an unforecast fog are high. This precluded a full understanding of what factors may have contributed to the crew of Velocity 1384 missing this report. This scenario is explained in the Flight Crew Training Manual (FCTM) (see appendix A). A review of the relevant ATC recorded radio communication identified that the first opportunity was at 0816, when the crew of Qantas 735 requested further information from ATC regarding conditions in Adelaide. This was due to the workload associated with additional traffic arriving at Mildura and was consistent with the MATS priority of giving precedence to traffic separation over the dissemination of weather information. For those interested in checking out popular landmarks while visiting Mildura, Kar-Rama Motor Inn is . In September 2007, the MATS was entirely reformatted and the reference to amendments changed to versions, with version1 being effective on 7 September 2007. The flight crew continued collecting weather updates for various ports as the flight progressed, including Mildura, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide. 269283. The predicted clearance of the fog at 0900 on the 0800 TTF was used by the crew of Qantas735to inform their decision to continue to Adelaide from the point at which they could have returned to Sydney. - Displayed until quantity is increased to 1,134 kg (2,500 lbs). MATS version23 was current at the time of occurrence involving VH-YIR and VH-VYK. a PNR [Point of No Return]), if necessary. Amended TAF for Adelaide issued at 0700 EST passed to the crew of Qantas 735 via ACARS. As such, it could not be used for arrivals at Mildura prior to 1000. The signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information. Until late last year when as a consequence of my badgering Minister Frydenberg, backup by Alan Jones on radio 2GB and then a whistleblower telling me to ask for the A8 forms, we now finally have access to some parallel data for Mildura. When the aircraft was at the decision altitude, the crew initiated a missed approach procedure as they had not obtained visual reference with the runway. PSS I shall probably add to the above post (by way of an update) in the next day or two, with my most recent correspondence to the Head of the Bureau, Andrew Johnson. The transmission is prefixed by Hazard Alert. This included amendments to meteorological products such as: The provision of this service is limited to aircraft within 1 hours flight time of the condition or destination, or 2 hours for a SIGMET. Of the 160 occurrences, 36 resulted in the declaration of a PAN or other emergency by the crew to facilitate either a diversion (particularly to a military airport) or priority landing. The captain had a day off on 16June2013. This includes available information regarding nominated alternate aerodromes and unattended aerodromes enroute at which a landing is planned. Service. Light winds becoming southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h in the morning then becoming light in the middle of the day. Mildura Latest Weather Observations around Mildura Latest Weather Observations around Mildura (beta) Map View MetEye View the current warnings for Victoria Change location Start typing (town, city, postcode or lat/lon), then select from list below. This page was created at 00:41 on Thursday 19 January 2023 (UTC), Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2023, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532) | CRICOS Provider 02015K | Disclaimer | Privacy | Accessibility, http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDV60801/IDV60801.94693.axf, http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDV60801/IDV60801.94693.json. 2 tank were selected back to ON, with the crossfeed valve open. Fail operational capability is the minimum capability to conduct Cat IIIB, and some Cat IIIA ILS approaches. Under the provision of FIS, for major airports and airports without a broadcasting AWIS, pilots will be alerted if they are within 60minutes of the affected destination or the relevant condition. While the 0700 amended TAF and 0800 TTF were not required to be sent to the crew under Virgins flight following procedures, not passing the weather removed an important source of information regarding the deteriorating conditions at Adelaide. Aerodrome Forecasts are a statement of meteorological conditions expected for a specific period of time, in the airspace within a radius of 5 NM (9 km) of the aerodrome. The crew of Velocity 1384 were unaware of the fog and from this point commenced collecting further information and planning their diversion to Mildura. [2] The fuel on board at take-off from Brisbane was 8,800 kg as recorded on the flight data recorder. The other airports in the area reporting suitable weather were Mildura, Broken Hill and Woomera. The aisle supervisors were appropriately endorsed and current for their role, which included oversight of the en route sector controllers. At locations where there is no authorised observer, or where the observer is not available, the observation generated has the word AUTO preceding the observation. These were the reports obtained by the crew of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 to assist their decision making about diverting to Mildura. You should read the important information in these notes. By providing SPECI information proactively, the risk of it being missed as a function of pilot workload, or limitations in the range of AWIS, is reduced. At the time Qantas 735 made this request, the flight crew of Velocity 1384 was on the same frequency, but remained unaware of the fog in Adelaide until they were alerted by the Tailem Bend controller. This was in response to the 0800 TTF that showed fog with a predicted improvement from 0900. Also details how to interpret the radar images and information on subscribing to further enhanced radar information services available from the Bureau of Meteorology. You can even manage and record transactions in different currencies. This would indicate that the actions of the Mallee controller, which were reportedly influenced by workload, were not symptomatic of a systemic issue in the provision of flight information service (FIS). Under the forecast priority guidance, issuing an amended aerodrome forecast (TAF) for Category B airports, such as Mildura, is ranked below the need to create information concerning en route weather phenomena that may affect the safety of aircraft operations (SIGMET). At around 0957, the systems supervisor again called BoM for an appreciation of the weather as Velocity 1384 was compelled to land at Mildura. Information on the provision of hazard alerts was amended to require controllers to: Communicate a sudden (not forecast or NOTAMed) change to a component of FIS having an immediate and detrimental effect on the safety of aircraft by using the prefix Hazard Alert. In relation to Mildura, the first time the systems supervisor became aware that the conditions were deteriorating was on receipt at around 0930 of a telephone call from the Mildura aerodrome reporting officer (ARO). How did they design a probe to match a glass thermometer without such a comparison and at which site? The ARO was calling to query why aircraft were diverting to Mildura given the conditions. However, neither crew had access to this TAF and, even if they had, they would not have been able to use it for flight planning purposes at that stage as it was not valid for use before 1000. - Displayed until any imbalance is reduced to 91 kg (200 lbs). Distance measuring equipment or marker beacons along the approach provide distance information. Ltd. and Qantas Airways Ltd. Submissions were received from the flight crew of Velocity 1384, Airservices Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Virgin Australia Airlines Pty. For example, informing ATC of a non-routine situation will increase the level of monitoring a flight will receive. FIS should not serve as the sole source of aviation weather and other operational information. The captain reported hearing this transmission while preparing for the approach into Adelaide. https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/us-big-freeze-is-adjusted-out-of-existence-by-noaa/ Between 0928 and 0932, three further SPECIs were issued for Mildura, indicating that visibility was decreasing in mist. However, an increase in the number of SPECI reports due to an increase in the number of AWS being commissioned, and the introduction of required change parameters being programmed into the software of the AWS led to a large increase in the number of SPECI reports being received by controllers. These covered SIGMET and weather advisory information, such as moderate/severe icing. The result of these reviews was reflected in changes to the AIP and to MATS in March 2009. While it is official BoM policy to ensure that there is approximately five-years of overlapping parallel data when there is a site move or equipment change at an official weather station, this policy appears to be rarely implemented. After realising that the fog at their original destination of Adelaide Airport would not clear prior to their arrival time, the flight crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 initiated a diversion to Mildura Airport, Victoria. In New Zealand, FIS is defined as: 3.3.7 FIS will include the provision of available and relevant information concerning: (b) weather conditions reported or forecast, at departure, destination, and alternative aerodromes; (Table GEN 3.3-3 lists aerodrome MET information available in-flight on request from ATS). Mildura 14 Day Extended Forecast. While conditions deteriorated after Qantas 735 landed, in different circumstances, the weather may equally have improved sufficiently to allow Velocity1384to hold, before landing in conditions above the minima. Evidence from the relevant ATC enroute sector recorded radio communication showed that controllers were providing inbound aircraft within 60minutes of Adelaide Airport with advice of an amended TAF and of ongoing SPECIs. As such, no analysis or findings are included in this update. They should be taking, and reporting, parallel measurements to confirm that the probes are measuring the same temperatures as a mercury thermometer would. (i) other activities likely to affect safety. In relation to the provision of this service, Virgins documented guidance stated that: The service requires the Flight Dispatcher to continually monitor relevant operational information as it is received and to evaluate it in terms of its impact on the progress of all flight watched flights. The diversion was based, in part, on weather observation reports at Mildura indicating the weather was better than forecast. At that stage, the No. Keep at the BoM They need to understand that the comparison between technologies for temperature measurement are necessary public knowledge. Aviation is a complex, highreliability industry. Quality checks on data are not normally performed. In addition, changes regarding the 60minute time period in which amended aerodrome forecast information would be broadcast to aircraft that are being provided with an ATC service, aligned the MATS to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Regional Supplementary Procedures. Reliability of aviation weather forecastsAs a result of this and other occurrences involving observed but not forecast weather, the ATSB has commenced research investigation AR-2013-200 Reliability of aviation weather forecasts. It caters predominately for aircraft operating in control areas within VHF range of the facility. The broadcast range limitations of an AWIS, a function of using very high frequency radio for this service, means it can typically only be accessed about 30 minutes away from the airport. The BoM reported that the fog conditions at Adelaide were particularly unusual and that, based on their experience, they did not initially expect it to form. In addition, Virgins pilot weather requirements have been clarified and enhanced. It provides weather observations as well as relevant operational information, such as the requirement for additional holding fuel and the unavailability of facilities or services. Concerned about your property? By this time, the flight crew had gathered the latest information about the conditions at Adelaide from multiple sources, which continued to state a forecast improvement from 0900. While the increase in data was a benefit to BoM, an unexpected outcome was the production of numerous AUTO SPECI reports. That is, conditions that were forecast to be below the alternate minima, were actually observed to be above those minima. SPECI reports are also issued when stipulated conditions begin, end or change in intensity. As a result of its increased understanding of events, the ATSB has expanded the scope of its investigation to examine both of these diversions and their broader context. After I manually transcribed and analysed relevant data from a subset of the first batch of over 4,000 scanned A8 forms received on 28 October, I wrote to Minister Freydenberg on 12 November explaining that the values recorded manually on the A8 forms from the mercury thermometers for the period November 1996 to December 2000 at Mildura are significantly different from the official values recorded from the electronic probes. The CVR recorded discussion between the crew about the position of the fuel pumps and crossfeed valve. They are very very accurate but taking a different time and or time curve shape to warm up and cool down means that for a rapid change in temperature they will accurately record a different value. The blue shaded area represents what hydrologists estimate the extent of the floods may be based on historical information captured (for example: photos and gauge heights). However, based on the reports of significantly better weather at Mildura, a diversion to that airport was assessed as preferable to continuing to Adelaide. I have gone over some of the design steps that would need to be done and they are too complicated to trust without checking. In this instance, the controller did not pass the AIREP to incoming aircraft nor to their supervisor, who could have informed BoM of the deterioration. On being informed by ATC that the latest trend forecast for Adelaide predicted a delay in the fog clearing of 30 minutes, and after gathering observation reports for Mildura, the crew of Qantas735also elected to divert there at 0913. A fail operational system is a higher capability. The reasons for reviewing Trend Forecast services include: Aviation Cameras for Forecasters (AvCam). Considering days when there is parallel data available in the temperature band of interest (the claimed-record hot day in September 2017 measured 37.7 degrees Celsius) the new probe has been found to measure up to 0.4 degrees hotter (e.g. Virgin Australia Airlines Pty. If an ABS is not available, pilots may request weather information from ATS as part of the on-request flight information service. This additional time also meant that the crew of Qantas 735, had they been provided with the 0928 and 0930 SPECIs, would likely have had a clearer understanding of the deteriorating trend at Mildura when there was still the option for them to return to Adelaide. For the 3 days preceding the occurrence, they advised going to bed by 2000. The 0303 TAF for Adelaide on the morning of the occurrence forecast scattered cloud and light winds. Additionally, in this occurrence, the observations showed the weather at Mildura was better than forecast at the time the diversion was initiated. In relation to the weather at Mildura, the ATSB found that the deterioration was significantly worse than originally forecast. Limited options are available to crew once past their decision point, such as was the case on arrival at Mildura. The section went on to state the prevention of collisions and expediting of traffic will take precedence over this service. Madden Avenue Service Centre108 Madden Avenue, Mildura VICAustralia
Maps and tables of average conditions for locations across Australia are also available. It is a bit hard to fathom. The crew of Qantas 735 had started collecting weather information proactively prior to this point. In particular, in relation to this occurrence, it was noted that pilots would have expected the crews of Velocity 1384 and Qantas 735 to have been told of the fog at Adelaide prior to changing to the Tailem Bend sector frequency. Virgin advised that a review of their operations identified no systemic issue in relation to flight crew seeking weather information. Perhaps they need to be asked the exact correct question and will give nothing away helpfully. This included to equipment used in forecasting. Ltd. (Virgin) and Qantas Airways Ltd. (Qantas) fuel policies were approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and each flight crew uploaded sufficient fuel in accordance with their respective policies. At 0918, a special weather report (SPECI) observation was issued for Mildura, listing the cloud as broken at 200 ft, and visibility in excess of 10 km. Change location Start typing (town, city, postcode or lat/lon), . As a result, the crew elected to conduct a missed approach. In the case of short haul domestic operations, the flight watch service was typically limited to flights from the east to the west coast of Australia, to remote islands and in support of extended diversion time operations. If you are using these pages, you are deemed to have understood the important information in these notes. At 0700, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued an updated aerodrome forecast (TAF)[3] for Adelaide, which indicated a 30 per cent probability of fog developing. set your location The Virgin operations manual included a requirement for crew to check there was sufficient fuel remaining on board to continue to the destination at the point of no return. The BoM claims that measurements from such devices are 'comparable' to measurements from traditional mercury thermometers, which were used to measure official air temperatures at Mildura from 13 June 1889 until 1 November 1996. A number of these challenges have been identified by the Centre of Australian Weather and Climate Research and include that: At interview, the BoM similarly stated that as fog is a very rare event for most airports, it is difficult to accurately forecast. Pilot flying (PF) and pilot monitoring (PM) are procedurally assigned roles with specifically assigned duties at specific stages of a flight. The changes also resulted in any SPECI report that was available from an ABS not being sent automatically to a controllers workstation.
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