Another Air Canada Boeing 787 Glideslope Deviation In Hong Kong Under Investigation

A reported glideslope deviation involving an Air Canada Boeing 787 is presently under investigation. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is looking into the incident, which took place in Hong Kong last month. Interestingly, this is not the first time that this aircraft has been the subject of such an examination regarding a glideslope deviation.

Air Canada Boeing 787 Getty
Photo: The incident occurred on July 8th this year. Photo: Getty Images

The incident

Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) have disclosed that they are looking into an incident that saw an Air Canada Boeing 787 deviate from its glideslope. According to FlightGlobal, the flight is said to have drifted below its planned approach path while on final approach to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

At the time of the incident, which took place on July 8th this year, the aircraft’s crew was operating under visual meteorological conditions. In these conditions, flights operate under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). This means that pilots are not reliant on instruments to retain sufficient separation between their aircraft and other planes or the terrain.

The flight was able to land safely after its crew re-established the glideslope while at an altitude of 900 feet. Nonetheless, the TSB has deemed the incident worthy of further investigation. Simple Flying has reached out to Air Canada for further information.

Air Canada, Health Passport, COVID-19
The crew eventually re-established the glideslope at 900 feet. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The flight and aircraft involved

The flight that deviated from Hong Kong’s glideslope on July 8th was numbered as AC7273. Data from RadarBox.com shows that this is a scheduled Air Canada service that generally departs Toronto’s Pearson Airport (YYZ) at 02:25 local time. Arrival in Hong Kong is scheduled to take place 15 hours and five minutes later, at 05:30 local time.

On July 8th, Air Canada flight AC7273 left Toronto eight minutes late, at 02:33. Despite this delay, and the aforementioned glideslope deviation, it landed in Hong Kong early. Specifically, it touched down at 05:13 local time after 14 hours and 40 minutes in the air.

The aircraft operating flight AC7273 on July 8th was a Boeing 787-9. These mid-sized ‘Dreamliners’ are common on this route. The registration of the plane, which was carrying just four occupants, was C-FNOH. According to data from ch-aviation.com, Air Canada received this aircraft brand new in November 2015. It has 298 seats across three classes.

AC7273 Map
Despite the deviation, the flight landed early in Hong Kong. Image: RadarBox.com

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Not the first deviation involving C-FNOH

Interestingly, several Boeing 787s are reported to have had glideslope-related issues while landing in Hong Kong in recent years. FlightGlobal reports that these have belonged to carriers such as Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad, and Virgin Atlantic.

However, in April 2020, Simple Flying also reported on a similar incident involving another Air Canada flight to Hong Kong. In this instance, the aircraft was arriving from Vancouver. However, in a strange coincidence, the aircraft operating this flight was none other than C-FNOH once again! For now, this aircraft has been stored in Texas since August 10th.

What do you make of this incident? Have you ever been on a flight that has deviated from its glideslope like this? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.



from Simple Flying https://ift.tt/3kuL1NX
via IFTTT

Comments