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System Wide Events: Guidance for Flight Crews
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| Article Information | ||
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| Category: | General | 
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| Content source: | SKYbrary | 
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| Content control: | EUROCONTROL | 
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Contents |
General
This article considers some aspects of airmanship which are applicable to all aircraft and situations.
Description
This article provides guidance to flight crews on how to handle a situation where whole sections of airspace or a number of aerodromes across a specific region close unexpectedly. Such "system wide" events present an aircraft commander with challenges which are not covered by routine contingency planning and which, if not handled well, can quickly jeopardise the safety of the aircraft.
Examples of system wide events could include:
- Acts of War or Terrorism - For example, the closure of US airspace following the attacks of 11 September 2001, or airspace closure associated with the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya in April 2011.
- Natural Events - For example the closure of many airports in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 or airspace closures over Europe on 15 April 2010 due to volcanic ash.
- Adverse Weather Conditions - For example, unexpected closure of airports in northern Canada as a result of advection fog following changing wind conditions, or closure of airports following heavier than expected snowfall across a wide area.
Effects
The consequences of a system wide event include:
- Where sections of airspace en route are closed, necessitating a change in route;
- increased flight time;
- increased fuel burn and potential requirement to stop short for refuel;
- the need to consider terrain clearance on revised routing (including engine out stabilising altitude requirements and drift down profiles);
- the need to consider weather on revised routing;
- the need to consider availability of en-route diversions on revised routing;
- the need to consider availability of destination and alternates at new arrival time.
- Where aerodromes across a region, which includes the planned destination and alternate(s), close:
- the need to find an alternate destination which is available at the expected arrival time (as well as the usual considerations when selecting an alternate destination/diversion, it should be remembered that other aircraft may well be in the same situation and such aerodromes may quickly become full to capacity and the increased traffic may mean that inbound aircraft are subject to significant delays);
- the need to consider all the issues above for a revised routing.
Mission/Commercial Requirements
Choosing an alternate which has the facilities to handle the aircraft passengers and/or cargo, and from where it will be easier for the company to recover the aircraft and quickly restore schedules, is an important planning consideration for the crew. However, mission/commercial considerations must be balanced against the need to maintain the safe conduct of the flight.
Crew Resource Management
The speed and effectiveness of the process of gathering and evaluating information, in order to provide the situational awareness needed to make good decisions, is much improved if the crew work together, tasks are apportioned by the captain, and all available crew members (including extra flight deck crew, dead-heading crew, and cabin crew) are utilised as part of the team if required.
The increased workload on the pilots, and the increased discussion between the pilots and supernumerary crew may in itself lead to loss of situational awareness if the crew miss radio calls or do not listen to the conversations other aircraft are having with ATC and each other. Flight Deck discipline is essential and (Sterile Flight Deck principles should be applied.
The captain should be conscious of the impact the pace of change of events may have on the performance of less experienced crew members and the impact that that may have on his or her own capacity and decision making.
For further information see the dedicated article on Crew Resource Management
Time
Clearly, if an event happens when the aircraft is en route, and while the aircraft still has a significant quantity of fuel, the crew has longer to evaluate options and re-plan than if the event occurs when the aircraft is close to destination and has limited fuel reserves.
The crew should consider courses of action which increase the time and fuel available, for example by selecting an alternate destination which is short of the original destination.
Situational Awareness
It is important that the crew quickly ascertain the scale of the event and the implications for the conduct of the flight. Information sources which will improve situational awareness include:
- Air Traffic Control - ATC may be able to provide:
- information on the nature, duration, and consequences of the event, including the impact on ATC service provision and availability of airspace and aerodromes;
- guidance on revised routings and information regarding availability of alternate destinations.
However, be aware that the ability of ATC to provide such information and services may be affected by the event and the sudden requirement to handle numerous re-routings and diversions may cause controller overload.
- Company Flight Watch - Company flight watch centres may have information and advice to assist decision making. They may also be able to provide information on the intentions of other company aircraft and provide company preferences for the alternate destination which the crew can take into consideration in decision making.
- Other Aircraft - especially where the ATC service has been degraded, other aircraft can be a source of useful information regarding the availability of alternate aerodromes, usable frequencies for communications etc.
- Internet - where the aircraft is equipped with Internet access, usually as part of an in-flight entertainment system, this could be used to gain an appreciation for the nature and extent of any event.
Profile and Engine Management
The crew should consider adjusting the flight profile and power settings to conserve fuel.
Contingency Planning
In a changing situation, the course of action adopted by the crew may need to be revised more than once. It is important that the crew continues to think ahead and consider what they will do if, for example, the chosen alternate destination ceases to be available. The development of alternative courses of action and the critique of current plans should be encouraged.
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