"TUI Airways"

The Air Accidents Investigation Board (AAIB) has released details of its investigation of an incident involving a TUI Airways flight which lost airspeed and altitude when the crew initiated a go-around following an approach into Manchester Airport during a thunderstorm on 12 June 2023.

The aircraft conducting the flight was a Boeing 737-800, registered G-FDZX.

Synopsis

The aircraft was flying back to Manchester Airport from Zakynthos in Greece. Thunderstorms had been forecast across most of the UK and the crew had taken extra fuel to account for possible extended routings or delays.

As the Boeing 737 was making an approach to Runway 05R at Manchester Airport a thunderstorm was approaching the airport. At decision height, visual reference with the runway was lost and the flight crew initiated a manually flown, manual thrust go-around.

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During the initial actions of the go-around the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of headwind which caused a loss of airspeed.

The commander reacted to the loss of airspeed by reducing the pitch attitude which resulted in a slight descent.

The reduction in pitch attitude with less than full go-around thrust caused the aircraft to descend, triggering the EGPWS ‘Don’t Sink’ Caution. The commander reacted appropriately to the caution and the aircraft climbed away without further incident.

Conclusion

The slight descent and EGPWS caution during the go-around were caused by the commander reducing the pitch attitude in response to a loss of airspeed.

The loss of airspeed was due to a change in wind direction caused by the approaching thunderstorm with insufficient thrust applied.

The go-around procedure requires the flight crew to verify sufficient thrust is set to achieve the climb performance during a go-around.

The aircraft manufacturer considers a windshear escape manoeuvre to be an appropriate response in these circumstances.

The operator TUI Airways is taking action to raise awareness of the threat of thunderstorms in the UK and promote appropriate briefing to mitigate the threat, and is reviewing its guidance for manual thrust go-arounds.

The full AAIB Report can be accessed here.

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A TUI flight bound for Corfu International Airport (CFU), Kerkyra Island made a precautionary return to Manchester Airport with an undercarriage problem earlier today.

TUI flight BY2518, a Boeing 737-800 bound for Corfu, experienced an issue with its landing gear shortly after takeoff from Manchester airport.

TUI BY2518 Manchester-Corfu

According to the online source Flight Emergency, the right hand main undercarriage assembly failed to retract after takeoff.

As a result, flight crew terminated the climb procedure before entering a holding pattern to the north of Manchester.

Following a period of holding, a return to Manchester airport was then negotiated.

Flight crew did not declare a formal emergency and the subsequent return and landing was conducted under normal operating procedures.

Flight data shows that flight BY2518 made a delayed departure out of Manchester Airport (MAN) this morning.

The flight shows an actual time of departure of 0841 local time, against the scheduled departure time of 0755 local.

Following its departure, flight crew then terminate the climb at 7000 feet before entering a holding procedure, presumably to run trouble checks.

The aircraft remained in holding at 7000 feet until a direct return to Manchester was then negotiated.

The aircraft conducting the BY2518 rotation to Corfu 737-800, registered G-TAWY. This is a 12.3-year-old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier TUI Airways.

It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery in April 2012.

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The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has released a Special Bulletin concerning the failure of the auto throttle on a Boeing 737-800.

The incident involving the TUI Airways Boeing 737-800 aircraft registered G-FDZS occurred on takeoff from Bristol Airport, 4 March 2024.

The Special Bulletin contains preliminary information on this serious incident. It provides information for pilots and operators of the Boeing 737 Next Generation (737NG) about the A/T disengage occurrence in this event.

It concludes with the actions the manufacturer expects crews to take should such a disengagement occur.

History of the flight

The aircraft was prepared for a flight from Bristol Airport to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. It was operating with six crew and 163 passengers.

The TUI Boeing 737-800 completed a takeoff from Runway 09 at Bristol Airport with insufficient thrust to meet regulated performance.

The autothrottle (A/T) disengaged when the takeoff mode was selected, at the start of the takeoff roll. Subsequently, the thrust manually set by the crew (84.5% N1) was less than the required takeoff thrust (92.8% N1).

Neither pilot then noticed that the thrust was set incorrectly. The error was not picked up through the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

As a result, G-FDZS became airborne 260 m from the end of Runway 09. The aircraft then overflew the runway end at a height of approximately 10 ft.

Further, the correct thrust setting was not set until passing approximately 900 ft aal. This resulted in the A38 road, adjacent to the boundary of Bristol Airport, being overflown at less than 100 ft.

Analysis

The TUI Airways aircraft took off from Runway 09 with an incorrect thrust setting. It was significantly below that required to achieve the correct takeoff performance.

Rotation for the takeoff occurred only 260 m before the end of the runway. As a result, the aircraft passed over the end at a height of approximately 10 ft.

The N1 required to achieve the required takeoff performance was 92.8% but, following an A/T disconnect when the crew selected TOGA, 84.5% was manually set instead.

Despite an SOP requirement to check the thrust setting on takeoff, the crew did not realise that the thrust was not set correctly until after the takeoff although they had noted how close to the end of the runway they were.

The A/T had disconnected when the TOGA switch was pressed due to a fault with the ASM associated with the thrust lever for engine 1.

This disconnect was a known issue with the older type ASMs fitted to the aircraft type.

The manufacturer has issued a Fleet Team Digest for operators detailing the issue and the SB for replacing the ASMs with a newer model.

The investigation continues to examine all pertinent factors associated with this serious incident and a final report will be issued in due course.

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A TUI flight operating from Newcastle to Espargos, Cape Verde made an unscheduled diversion into Manchester today, 23 April 2024.

TUI flight BY800, a Boeing 737-8 from Newcastle, elected to divert into Manchester after conducting a period of holding en route.

TUI BY800 Newcastle-Espargos

It is understood that the cause of the diversion may have been a birdstrike issue. The flight made a normal departure out of Newcastle, and was on climb passing the British Midlands.

Flight BY800 then discontinued the climb at flight level FL260 (26,000 feet) near Manchester.

Diversion to MAN

The aircraft then descended in a holding pattern procedure before conducting an approach into Manchester Airport (MAN).

Flight data shows that TUI flight BY800 made an on-time departure out of Newcastle at 0936 local time this morning.

The flight then set because normally on the southerly route for Espargos, Cape Verde before initiating the diversion procedure. The flight subsequently landed at Manchester without incident.

The service operated under normal flight procedures and flight crew did not declare the formal emergency.

Boeing 737 MAX 8 G-TUMH

The aircraft conducting the BY800 service from Manchester was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered G-TUMH. This is a five-year-old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier TUI Airways. It has been in service with the airline since March 2021.

TUI Airways, formerly Thomson Airways, is the British arm of the TUI Airline group, which is owned and operated by the TUI Group.

They offer scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom and Ireland to destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

TUI Airways is the fourth-largest UK airline by total passengers carried, after EasyJet, British Airways and Jet2.com.

It is also the world’s tenth-largest airline by number of route pairings served. TUI Airways holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.

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