The pilots briefly lost control of the Ryanair Boeing 737-Max8200 during a go-around procedure, at one point descending so quickly that the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EWGPS) was activated, according to a recently released report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) into an incident involving the aircraft at London Stansted.
When the Ryanair flight from Klagenfurt Airport approached London Stansted (STN/EGSS) at approximately 11 a.m. on December 4th of last year, the event took place.The Ryanair pilots, operating EI-HET, started a manual go-around procedure on the first approach because the aircraft was unstable at 1,940 feet above sea level and about 3.6 meters from the runway.
The aircraft reached an altitude of almost 4,000 feet, exceeding its authorised level of 3,000 feet, as a result of the autopilot control panel's failure to adjust the altitude to the go-around altitude from the existing setting of 100 feet.
The aircraft reached an altitude of almost 4,000 feet, exceeding its authorised level of 3,000 feet, as a result of the autopilot control panel's failure to adjust the altitude to the go-around altitude from the existing setting of 100 feet.
Air Traffic Control at Stansted also prompted the pilot, the aircraft's captain, to notice they had beyond 3,000 feet. The aircraft then began to descend, putting it into a 17.7° nose-down attitude. Flaps 5 extended, dropping at a maximum speed of 8,800 fpm, and the aircraft sped to 295 KIAS. The pilot recovered the aircraft at the lowest recorded altitude of 1,740 feet above sea level, at which point the EWGPS alarm with the message "Sink Rate, Pull Up" was activated.
After that, the plane was recovered to 3,000 feet and made a safe landing.
After that, the plane was recovered to 3,000 feet and made a safe landing.
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Several serious occurrences that happened during go-arounds with similar variables to those revealed in this inquiry involving EI-HET were documented by the AAIB. The event might have happened in any Boeing 737 variant or any other aircraft with comparable autopilot and flight director systems, even though EI-HET is a Boeing 737-8200 [MAX].
Additionally, they pointed out that a sensation known as "somatogravic illusion" might have contributed, meaning that the pilots might have become spatially disoriented and used excessive control inputs. When a pilot encounters prolonged acceleration or deceleration, they may develop a form of spatial disorientation known as somatogravic illusion.
Following the incident, Ryanair implemented a new "Discontinued Approach Procedure," whereby Boeing and authorised by the Irish authorities that grant Ryanair's operator's certificate.
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