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TSB report finds WestJet pilots misidentified runway during approach into St. Maarten
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released its report regarding WestJet’s much talked-about Sint Maarten missed approach back in March 2017. The report found that “unexpected weather conditions on final approach, reduced runway conspicuity, and inadequate flight path monitoring led to a risk of collision with terrain.” (www.theluxescape.com) Altro...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Maybe Canadian acrft should be restricted until they figure 1. left from right, and 2. runway versus hotel. Just seems there have been too many piloting errors eg. SFO. I live next door to Canada and can only comment that I hope their driving skills are no reflection to their piloting skills.
All I can say is..WOW..yes those knuckleheads should get their butts kicked, but do not make it seem like Canadian pilots are the only 1's who screw up!
A HUD would have ben handy to have.
Looks to me like, as so often happens, both crew may have been looking out the window instead if one monitoring the instruments.
if the pilots are going to try the excuse of an intense rain shower caused us to goof this approach, i can't buy their argument. This is the tropics- rain showers come and go quickly, so declare missed approach, go around, and come back in 10 minutes to a more predictable landing.
Scary situation. IMHO there is no way a hotel looks like an actual runway, with or without instruments. I think ranking the causes would put inattention/situational awareness as #1.
As in most Caribbean approaches in summer months, a lot of haze makes things hard to see add a tropical shower to the mix, a maxed out work load into a low or no visibility final and it's a recipe for a possible disaster. The flight was seconds from a major accident. Don't know the experience level in the cockpit but this situation got way way out of hand.