An unstable approach is an approach during which an
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
does not maintain certain essential flight parameters within reasonable limits. This usually includes at least one of the following variables stable: speed, descent rate, vertical/lateral
flight path
In the United States, airways or air routes are defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in two ways:
"VOR Federal airways and Low/Medium Frequency (L/MF) (Colored) Federal airways"
These are designated routes which aeroplanes ...
and in landing configuration, or receive a landing clearance by a certain altitude. Unstabilized approaches account for most approach and landing
accidents
An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not directly caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that nobody should be blamed, but the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Most researcher ...
. For this reason, an approach should be stabilized by above
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
altitude. Otherwise, a
go-around
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach or has already touched down. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unstab ...
should be executed by the pilot.
For example, the
2016 Magdalen Islands Mitsubishi MU-2 crash
On 29 March 2016, a Mitsubishi MU-2 operated by Aero Teknic, a Canadian aircraft maintenance company, crashed on approach to Îles-de-la-Madeleine Airport, killing former Canadian politician Jean Lapierre, several members of his family, and the t ...
was blamed on an unstabilized approach.
TSB identifies unstable approach as key factor in 2016 fatal accident of Mitsubishi MU-2 aircraft in Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
/ref>
References
External links
Approach With Caution
Flight Safety Foundation ALAR Briefing Note
{{aviation-stub
Types of final approach (aviation)