"Fly the plate and you won't get hurt"

[Mike I]

Edit: whoops, didn't see this was posted in a different category already

I haven't yet started my I.R. but I came across this on PPRuNe and found it fascinating. A Lear 45 clipped trees on a GPS approach, while flying the improperly designed procedure precisely:

Mr. Huddleston, the captain of the flight in question, was guaranteed by certification criteria a 20:1 obstacle clearance slope until the VDP (visual descent point) and a 34:1 obstacle clearance slope from the VDP to the runway threshold. A pilot flying a GPS approach with a VDP on the published approach plate is assured this margin of obstacle clearance. The subsequent tree survey showed the tree [that the aircraft struck] extended well into the 20:1 glideslope far in excess of the 34:1 required by this type of approach.

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...ws/2012-08-01/fly-plate-and-you-wont-get-hurt

 

[somorris]

Wow! Thanks for posting that, Mike. There are an awful lot of GPS approaches out there now. I wonder how many others have similar problems. Wow.