Page 22 - Volume 17 Number 5

20 • TWIN & TURBINEAbout 9 NM beyond MAP, the crew initiated a straight- ahead climb.Returning to ATC frequency, the crew reported, “We’re going missed at this time.” The controller asked the crew to repeat the radio transmission. The crew repeated the information, and the controller acknowledged. The controller advised the crew to climb and maintain 4,400 feet. There were no further transmissions from the King Air and the radar target was lost. Impact occurred at an elevation of about 2,400 feet, along the extended centerline of the runway, several miles past the MAP.Failure to Meet TargetsFlying an instrument approach without vertical guidance involves traveling though a series of altitude targets at prescribed distances from a reference point. The professional King Air crew obviously did not meet the target altitudes at the proper time; evidence strongly suggests that the crew was not precisely certain where it was on the approach, because the pilots acted as if they were mentally one or more fixes behind the procedure they were flying. They adjusted altitude downward too late and did not recognize the MAP until they were eight miles past it. Failure to meet these targets might have been the result of feeling “rushed” to fly the procedure, mere moments after being told to expect nearly half an hour’s wait in the hold.Getting SA BackThe pilots may have been preoccupied with trying to descend to 2,600 feet and lost track of their horizontal position. Maintaining situational awareness could have been far easier had the crew not crossed the final approach fix inbound until they were at the initial altitude of 2,600 feet. Just one turn in the hold would have given plenty of time for an easy descent, but, more importantly, it might have reinforced precise positional awareness.VFR or IFR, pilots should have performance and position targets for all phases of flight. Is the airplane accelerating properly for takeoff? Has as it reached a target speed before a specified distance down the runway? If not, abort the takeoff, so you have time to figure out what’s happening. Is fuel burn as expected in cruise flight, or will winds or engine parameters begin to eat into your reserves by the time you reach destination? Change fuel burn or divert for refueling well before your fuel state becomes critical. Are you not climbing fast enough to clear hazardous weather or terrain? Deviate, or circle back to gain more altitude.You get “good SA” by establishing performance targets and gauging actual performance against expected. Turn “bad SA” into good by asking yourself if you’re on target at a known point in the flight, and cor•recting in the direction of safety (e.g., climb if lost on the approach) if you’re not hitting your performance targets. T&TMAY 2013