Singapore A388 at Sydney on Feb 9th 2020, turned left instead of right on go around after windshear escape
Last Update: April 7, 2021 / 07:07:09 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 9, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Singapore Airlines
Flight number
SQ-231
Departure
Singapore, Singapore
Destination
Sydney, Australia
Aircraft Registration
9V-SKQ
Aircraft Type
Airbus A380-800
ICAO Type Designator
A388
Australia's Transport Safety Board (ATSB) released their final report concluding the probable causes of the incident were:
Contributing factors
- The flight crew misheard an air traffic control turn instruction, likely due to a combination of the high cockpit workload associated with the missed approach and their expected turn direction.
- The flight crew omitted the direction of the turn during the readback, which was not corrected by air traffic control. The absence of the readback correction by air traffic control, combined with the misheard turn instruction, resulted in the aircraft being turned in the wrong direction.
The ATSB analysed:
What happened
On 9 February 2020, an Airbus A380 aircraft, registered 9V-SKQ was being operated by Singapore Airlines on a scheduled passenger service from Singapore to Sydney, New South Wales.
During the approach to runway 16 right at Sydney, the aircraft encountered windshear and in response, the flight crew commenced the windshear recovery procedure and missed approach. During this time, air traffic control (ATC) instructed the flight crew to turn right onto a heading of 270°. The flight crew read back the heading, however, did not include the direction of the turn. Air traffic control did not correct the incomplete readback and the flight crew commenced turning the aircraft left instead of right.
Air traffic control issued a safety alert to the flight crew, advised them of a Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft about 6 NM (11 km) on final for runway 16 left, and instructed them to turn right and climb immediately. Air traffic control then instructed the flight crew of the DHC-8 to make a right turn in order to maintain separation with the A380. This resulted in a loss of separation between the DHC-8 and a Boeing 737 aircraft on approach to runway 16 right.
What the ATSB found
The ATSB found that the flight crew were likely experiencing high workload as a result of conducting the windshear recovery and published missed approach procedure. This, in combination with an expectation that they would be turning left, contributed to them mishearing the ATC instruction to turn right. As a result, the aircraft was turned left. In addition, the flight crew omitted information from their readback and ATC did not correct the flight crew’s incomplete readback, which was a missed opportunity to correct the misheard instruction.
What has been done as a result
Singapore Airlines issued a notice to flight crew, highlighting strategies to manage high workload situations, as well as reiterating the importance of correct readbacks and acknowledgement from ATC.
Safety message
Compliance with ATC published procedures, such as readback procedures, provides assurance that instructions are correctly understood, which is especially important during high workload periods and/or in times of high traffic density. This incident highlights the importance of flight crew completing full readbacks, as well as controllers correcting any readback discrepancies immediately.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 9, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Singapore Airlines
Flight number
SQ-231
Departure
Singapore, Singapore
Destination
Sydney, Australia
Aircraft Registration
9V-SKQ
Aircraft Type
Airbus A380-800
ICAO Type Designator
A388
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
Singapore A388 near Frankfurt on Nov 24th 2022, cabin pressurization problem
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration 9V-SKQ performing flight SQ-317 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Singapore (Singapore) with 379…
Fleet type match
Singapore A388 over Andaman Islands on Apr 26th 2012, navigation system problems
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration 9V-SKQ performing flight SQ-318 from Singapore (Singapore) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute…
Singapore B738 at Kathmandu on May 6th 2022, tail scrape on departure
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration 9V-MGL performing flight SQ-439 from Kathmandu (Nepal) to Singapore (Singapore) with 165 passengers…
Fleet type match
Singapore B744 at Nairobi on Apr 17th 2023, rejected takeoff due to bird strike
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration 9V-SFO performing flight SQ-7343 from Nairobi (Kenya) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was…
Fleet type match
Singapore B744 near Hong Kong on Mar 24th 2023, fire indication
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration 9V-SFN performing flight SQ-7858 from Singapore (Singapore) to Shanghai Pudong (China)…
Fleet type match
Singapore B38M at Singapore on Dec 3rd 2021, both left main tyres damaged on landing
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration 9V-MBF performing flight SQ-153 from Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to Singapore (Singapore), landed on…
Newest articles
Sun Country B738 at Lakeland on Jun 3rd 2023, lightning strike
A Sun Country Boeing 737-800 freighter, registration N5693A performing flight SY-3008 from Lakeland,FL to Minneapolis,MN (USA), was climbing out of…
Boliviana B738 at Cochabamba on Jun 4th 2023, engine problem
A Boliviana de Aviacion Boeing 737-800, registration CP-3138 performing flight OB-648 from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz (Bolivia), was climbing out of…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways