Descent Management

Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

Flight Operations Briefing Note

Descent Management
Being Prepared for Go-Around

I Introduction
Failure to recognize the need for and to execute a go-around and missed-approach
when appropriate is a major cause of approach-and-landing accidents.
Therefore, the importance of being go-around-prepared and being go-around-
minded must be emphasized.

To be go-around-prepared and go-around-minded the flight crew should:

• Have a clear mental image of applicable briefings, sequences of actions, task-
sharing, standard calls and excessive-deviation callouts
• Be ready to abandon the approach, if:
− Visibility (RVR) is below the required weather minimums, and/or
− Criteria for a stabilized approach are not (or no longer) achieved, and/or
− Doubt exists about the aircraft position, and/or
− Confusion exists about the use of automation, and/or
− Appropriate visual references are not obtained at MDA(MDH) or DA(DH), and/or
− Appropriate visual references are lost below MDA(MDH) or DA(DH).

• Be fully committed to fly the published missed-approach procedure, after

the go-around is initiated.

Operators should therefore establish and maintain a no-fault / no-blame go-around

policy.

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 Descent Management
Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

This Flight Operations Briefing Note provides an overview of operational

recommendations starting from the descent preparation and approach briefing, and of
training recommendations.

II Operational Recommendations

Task Sharing
Strict adherence to the PF-PNF task-sharing is the most important factor to conduct
a safe go-around.

The following Flight Operations Briefing Notes provide expanded information on PF-PNF
task sharing:
• Operating Philosophy
• Operations Golden Rules
• Standard Calls
• Flying a Manual Go-around
• Acquisition of Visual References

Descent Preparation
The chain of events resulting in a go-around often starts at the top-of-descent.
The flight crew should plan and conduct the descent preparation and the approach/go-
around briefing in a timely manner, in order to prevent any delay in the initiation of
the descent and any rush in the management of the descent profile.

Approach/Go-around Briefing
To be go-around prepared, the flight crew should include a detailed go-around briefing
in the descent-and-approach briefing, highlighting the key points of the go-around
maneuver and missed-approach, and the task-sharing under normal or
abnormal/emergency conditions.

The go-around briefing should recall briefly the following key aspects:
• Go-around callout (i.e. a loud and clear go-around/flaps call)
• PF-PNF task sharing (i.e. flow of respective actions including use of AP, speed
restrictions, go-around altitude, parameter-excessive-deviation callouts)
• Intended use of automation (i.e. automatic or manual go-around, use of FMS lateral
navigation or use of selected modes for the missed-approach)
• Missed-approach lateral navigation and vertical profile (e.g. speed limitations,
airspace restrictions, highlighting obstacles and terrain features, etc, as applicable)

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

• Intentions (i.e. second approach, or diversion):

− In the case of a second approach, discuss the type of approach (i.e. if a different
runway and/or type of approach is envisaged)
− Confirm the minimum diversion fuel
− Other aspects, as applicable.

It is recommended to briefly recall the main points of the go-around and missed-
approach when established on the final approach course, or after completing
the landing checklist (as deemed practical).

Also refer to the Flight Operations Briefing Note Conducting Effective Briefings, for
expanded information.

Concept of Next Target – Descent Monitoring

Throughout the entire flight, the flight crew should define a next target at all times to
stay ahead of the aircraft.
If the flight crew anticipates that one or more elements of the next target will not be
met, they should perform the required corrective action(s) without delay.

Refer to the following Flight Operations Briefing Notes for expanded information:
• Descent and Approach Profile Management
• Energy Management during Approach
• Flying Stabilized Approaches.

Final Approach
When flying with the AP engaged, the flight crew should consider the following aspects,
to be ready to take over manually:
• Seat and armrest adjustment (this is of primary importance for an effective
handling of the aircraft in a dynamic phase of flight)
• Flying with one hand on the side stick (or control wheel, as applicable), and one
hand on the thrust levers (throttle levers).

Transition from Visual References back to Instrument Flying

Once the PF has acquired appropriate visual references, the PNF must maintain
instrument references and be ready to announce the appropriate callouts if one flight
parameter deviates from the normal and safe value.
If a go-around is initiated, an immediate transition back to instrument flying must take
place.

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Instrument flying prevents illusions, which can lead to crew corrections that cause
the aircraft to deviate from vertical or horizontal flight paths.

These illusions originate in:

• A sudden linear acceleration: Illusion that the aircraft is pitching too much up and
can lead the pilot to pitch down (Somatogravic illusion).
• An angular acceleration: In a case of sustained movement in one direction, there is
a sensation of moving in the opposite direction (Somatogyral illusion). For example,
in right bank the pilot may continue to turn right.

Go-Around below the Minimums

When the need for go-around is identified, the decision should not be delayed.
Go-around can be decided until the selection of the reverse thrust.
If the go-around has been initiated, it must be completed. Reversing a go-around
decision can be hazardous (e.g. F/O initiating a late go-around; Captain overriding and
trying to land the aircraft).
Also refer to the Flight Operations Briefing Note Bounce Recovery, for expanded
information.

III Training Recommendations

Training program should cover various go-around situations to enhance flight crew
decision making and flying techniques.

Usually, go-around situations demonstrated during training are:

• No appropriate visual reference at the MDA(MDH) or DA(DH)
• Low height go-around (100 ft) called by the ATC (e.g. occupied runway)
• Windshear.

In operations, other go-around situations may also happen:

• Go-around from intermediate approach altitude:
− High energy, rushed or non-stabilized approaches
− Loss of required traffic separation (call by ATC).

• Go-around below minimums not called by ATC

− Destabilization of the approach
− Loss of appropriate visual references
− Runway incursion.

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

• Missed approach during circling

− Visual references lost while circling to land from an instrument approach.

Operators should ensure that various go-around situations are covered during
the training.

Note:
The Airbus training program includes a go-around at 1000 ft to ensure that trainees are
able to cope with a go-around above MDA, with rapid FMA changes.

For example, unlike a go-around at DA(DH), there are various go-around situations
from intermediate approach altitude, and all these situations may not be reviewed
during the approach briefing. Therefore, go-around situations with various aircraft
configurations, speeds, unprepared horizontal trajectories, altitude close to the go-
around altitude target, and/or TOGA thrust not required, should be discussed during
the training, as well as the following common errors related to go-around from
intermediate approach altitude:
• Go-around not properly announced and initiated, and/or
• Forgetting to retract the flaps and/or the landing gear, and/or
• Initating the turn before the MAP or required turning point, and/or
• Thrust levers (throttle) mismanaged after leveling off, and/or
• Exceeding the go-around altitude target, and/or
• Exceeding the flaps speed limitations, and/or
• Etc.

The flight crew should use the FCOM and the FCTM as training materials.
Addressing considerations about go-around during training program ensures that
the flight crew is better prepared to recognize the need for go-around, and to perform
a safe go-around.

IV Summary of Key Points

Failure to recognize the need for and to execute a go-around and missed-approach
when appropriate is a major cause of approach-and-landing accidents.
Therefore, the importance of being go-around-prepared and being go-around-minded
must be emphasized.
If the criteria for a safe continuation of the approach are not met, the flight crew should
be go-around-committed, should initiate a go-around and fly the published missed-
approach.
Appropriate education and training should enhance the flight crew decision making and
flying techniques to perform a safe go-around, in any situation.

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

V Associated Flight Operations Briefing Notes

The following Briefing Notes should be reviewed to complement the above information:
• Flying a Manual Go-around
• Operating Philosophy
• Operations Golden Rules
• Standard Calls
• Conducting Effective Briefings
• Descent and Approach Profile Management
• Aircraft Energy Management during Approach
• Flying Stabilized Approaches
• Acquisition of Visual References
• Bounce Recovery

VI Regulatory References
• ICAO – Annex 6 – Operation of Aircraft, Part I – International Commercial Air
Transport – Aeroplanes, Appendix 2. 5.16, 5.18, 5.19
• ICAO – Procedures for Air navigation Services – Aircraft Operations (PANS-OPS),
Doc 8168), Volume I – Flight Procedures
• ICAO – Manual of All-Weather Operations (Doc 9365).

VII Airbus References

• Flight Crew Operating Manuals (FCOM) – Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) –
Go Around
• A320 Family, A330/A340 Family, A380 Flight Crew Training Manuals (FCTM) –
Normal Operations - Go-Around
• A300/A310/A300-600 Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM) – FCOM Bulletin –
Being Prepared for Go-Around

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Being Prepared for Go-Around

This Flight Operations Briefing Note (FOBN) has been adapted from the corresponding ALAR Briefing Note developed by
Airbus in the frame of the Approach-and-Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) international task force led by the Flight Safety
Foundation.

This FOBN is part of a set of Flight Operations Briefing Notes that provide an overview of the applicable standards,
flying techniques and best practices, operational and human factors, suggested company prevention strategies and personal
lines-of-defense related to major threats and hazards to flight operations safety.

This FOBN is intended to enhance the reader's flight safety awareness but it shall not supersede the applicable regulations
and the Airbus or airline's operational documentation; should any deviation appear between this FOBN and the Airbus or
airline’s AFM / (M)MEL / FCOM / QRH / FCTM, the latter shall prevail at all times.

In the interest of aviation safety, this FOBN may be reproduced in whole or in part - in all media - or translated; any use of
this FOBN shall not modify its contents or alter an excerpt from its original context. Any commercial use is strictly excluded.
All uses shall credit Airbus and the Flight Safety Foundation.

Airbus shall have no liability or responsibility for the use of this FOBN, the correctness of the duplication, adaptation or
translation and for the updating and revision of any duplicated version.

Airbus Customer Services

Flight Operations Support and Services

1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte - 31707 BLAGNAC CEDEX France

FOBN Reference : FLT_OPS – DESC – SEQ 01 – REV 04 – APR 2008

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 Descent Management
Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

Flight Operations Briefing Notes

Descent Management
Descent and Approach Profile Management

I Introduction
Inadequate management of descent-and-approach profile and/or incorrect
management of aircraft energy level may lead to:
• Loss of vertical situational awareness; and/or,
• Rushed and unstabilized approaches.

Either situation increases the risk of approach-and-landing accidents, including those

involving CFIT.

II Statistical Data
Approximately 70 % of rushed and unstable approaches involve an inadequate
management of the descent-and-approach profile and/or an incorrect management of
energy level; this includes:
• Aircraft higher or lower than the desired vertical flight path; and/or,
• Aircraft faster or slower than the desired airspeed.

III Best Practices and Guidelines

To prevent delay in initiating the descent and to ensure an optimum management of
descent-and-approach profile, descent preparation and approach briefings should be
initiated when pertinent data have been received (e.g ATIS, …), and completed before
the top-of-descent (typically 10 minutes before).

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 Descent Management
Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

Descent Preparation
Insert a realistic FMS flight plan built up from the arrival expected to be flown. If, for
example, a standard terminal arrival route (STAR) is inserted in the FMS flight plan but
is not expected to be flown, because of anticipated radar vectors, the STAR should be
revised (i.e. The track-distance, altitude restrictions and/or speed restrictions)
according to pilot’s expectations so as to allow the FMS adjustment of the top-of-
descent point; and,
Wind forecast should be entered (as available) on the appropriate FMS page, at
waypoints close to the top-of-descent point and along the descent profile in order to get
a realistic top-of-descent.

Descent and Approach Briefing

The missed approach should be considered as being part of the approach. It may be
part of the FMS flight plan, and it should be reviewed against the applicable approach
chart.

Descent Initiation
If descent initiation is delayed by ATC, reduce speed as appropriate to minimize
the impact on the descent profile (i.e. to be in a better position to recapture
the nominal descent profile).

Navigation Accuracy Check

If FMS navigation accuracy does not meet the applicable criteria for terminal area
navigation or approach, no descent should be made below the MEA or below the sector
MSA without prior confirmation of the aircraft position, using navaids raw-data.
Then, the descent will be continued using raw-data as aircraft position reference
(e.g. navaids, DME, …).

Descent Profile Monitoring

Descent profile should be monitored, using all available instrument and chart
references:
• FMS vertical-deviation indication, as applicable;
• Navaids and instruments raw-data; and,
• Charted descent-and-approach profile.

Wind conditions and wind changes should be monitored closely to anticipate any
reduction in head wind component or increase in tail wind component, and to adjust
the flight path profile in a timely manner.
The descent profile may be monitored and adjusted based on a typical 3000 ft per
10 nm descent gradient (corrected for the prevailing head wind component or tail wind

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

component), while complying with the required altitude and/or speed restrictions
(i.e., ensuring adequate deceleration management).
The flight path vector, as available, can be used to monitor the descent profile by
checking that the remaining track-distance to touchdown (in nm) is approximately
equal to the FL divided by the flight-path-angle (FPA, in degrees):

Distance-to-go (nm) = FL / FPA (degrees)

Note:
In the above rule of thumb, the FL should be understood as the FL difference (Δ FL)
between the current aircraft FL and the airfield FL.

Below 10 000 ft, flying at 250 kt IAS, the following rules of thumb may be used to
confirm the descent profile and ensure a smooth transition between the various phases
of the approach:
• 9000 ft above airport elevation at 30 nm from touchdown; and,
• 3000 ft above airport elevation at 15 nm from touchdown (to account for
deceleration and slats/flaps extension).

Descent Profile Adjustment/Recovery

If flight path is significantly above the desired descent profile (e.g. because of an ATC
constraint or a higher-than-anticipated tail wind), to recover the desired flight path:
• Revert, if necessary, from FMS vertical navigation to a selected vertical mode, with
an appropriate speed target;

• Maintain a high airspeed as long as practical and possible (e.g., in accordance with
ATC speed constraint);

• Extend speed brakes (as allowed by SOPs depending on airspeed and configuration,
keeping preferably one hand on the speed brakes handle until speed brakes are
retracted);

• Extend landing gear, if the use of speed brakes is not sufficient;

• Notify ATC, for timely coordination, that the aircraft is unable to recover the desired
flight path, as soon as it is ascertained;

• As a last resort, perform a 360-degree descending turn (as practical and cleared by
ATC).
Maintain close reference to instruments throughout the turn to monitor and control
the rate of descent, bank angle and position, to prevent:
− Loss of control;
− CFIT; or,

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

− Overshoot of the localizer and/or of the extended runway centerline.

Refer to the Flight Operations Briefing Note Aircraft Energy Management during Approach
for additional information.

Concept of Next Target and Decision Gates

Throughout the entire flight a next target should be defined, in order to stay ahead of
the aircraft at all times.

The next target should be any required combination of one or more of the following
elements:
• A position;
• An altitude;
• A configuration;
• A speed;
• A vertical speed (as applicable); and,
• A power setting (e.g. thrust is stabilized, usually above idle, to maintain the target
approach speed along the desired final approach path).

If it is anticipated that one or more element(s) of the next target will not be met,
the required corrective action(s) should be taken without delay.
During the approach and landing, the successive next targets should constitute gates
that should be met for the approach to be continued.
The Final Approach Fix (FAF), the Outer Marker (OM) or an equivalent fix (as
applicable) constitute an assessment gate to confirm the readiness to proceed further.
The minimum stabilization height should constitute a particular gate (i.e. decision gate)
along the final approach.
If the aircraft is not stabilized on the approach path in landing configuration, at
the minimum stabilization height, a go-around must be initiated unless the crew
estimates that only small corrections are necessary to rectify minor deviations from
stabilized conditions due, amongst others, to external perturbations.

The Flight Operations Briefing Note Flying Stabilized Approaches describes:

• All the elements of a stabilized approach; and,
• The flight parameter exceedance callouts performed by the PNF if one flight
parameter exceeds the criteria defined for one of the elements of a stabilized
approach.

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

IV Adverse Factors and Typical Errors

The following factors and working errors often are observed during transition and line
training:
• Late, therefore rushed descent, approach preparation and briefing, resulting in
the omission of important items;
• Failure to cross-check FMS data entries;
• Failure to account for track-distance differences between expected routing and
actual routing (i.e., STAR versus radar vectors);
• Distraction leading to or resulting from a two-heads-down situation;
• Failure to resolve ambiguities, doubts or disagreements;
• Failure to effectively monitor the descent progress using all available instrument
references (e.g., failure to monitor wind conditions and/or wind changes); and/or,
• Use of inappropriate technique to recover the descent profile.

V Summary of Key Points

The following key points should be emphasized during transition training and line
training as well as during line checks and line audits:
• Timeliness of descent and approach preparation;
• Strict adherence to SOPs for FMS setup;
• Cross-check of all data entries by both crewmembers;
• Use of PFD, ND and FMS CDU to support and illustrate the descent, approach and
go-around briefings;
• Confirmation of FMS navigation accuracy, before deciding the use of automation
(i.e., use of FMS modes or selected modes) and of associated monitoring cues
(e.g. ND Rose NAV or Rose VOR, needles, VDEV, …) for the descent and approach;
• Review of terrain information and other approach hazards; and,
• Guidelines for descent planning, monitoring and adjustment.

VI Associated Flight Operations Briefing Notes

The following Flight Operations Briefing Notes may be referred to for a complete
overview of the procedures, operational recommendations and techniques involved in
the conduct of the descent and approach:
• Conducting Effective Briefings
• Aircraft Energy Management during Approach
• Flying Stabilized Approaches
• Being Prepared for Go-around

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Flight Operations Briefing Notes Descent and Approach Profile Management

VII Regulatory References

• ICAO – Procedures for Air navigation Services – Aircraft Operations (PANS-OPS, Doc
8168), Volume I – Flight procedures

VIII Airbus References

• Flight Crew Operating Manuals (FCOM) – Standard Operating Procedures – Descent
– Descent Monitoring & Descent Adjustment
• A320 Family and A330/A340 Family Flight Crew Training Manuals (FCTM) – Normal
Operations – Descent – Guidance and Monitoring

This Flight Operations Briefing Note (FOBN) has been adapted from the corresponding ALAR Briefing Note developed by
Airbus in the frame of the Approach-and-Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) international task force led by the Flight Safety
Foundation.

This FOBN is part of a set of Flight Operations Briefing Notes that provide an overview of the applicable standards,
flying techniques and best practices, operational and human factors, suggested company prevention strategies and personal
lines-of-defense related to major threats and hazards to flight operations safety.

This FOBN is intended to enhance the reader's flight safety awareness but it shall not supersede the applicable regulations
and the Airbus or airline's operational documentation; should any deviation appear between this FOBN and the Airbus or
airline’s AFM / (M)MEL / FCOM / QRH / FCTM, the latter shall prevail at all times.

In the interest of aviation safety, this FOBN may be reproduced in whole or in part - in all media - or translated; any use of
this FOBN shall not modify its contents or alter an excerpt from its original context. Any commercial use is strictly excluded.
All uses shall credit Airbus and the Flight Safety Foundation.

Airbus shall have no liability or responsibility for the use of this FOBN, the correctness of the duplication, adaptation or
translation and for the updating and revision of any duplicated version.

Airbus Customer Services

Flight Operations Support and Services

1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte - 31707 BLAGNAC CEDEX France

FOBN Reference : FLT_OPS – DESC – SEQ02– REV03 – OCT. 2006

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