Australia's Qantas revises training policy after finding pilot flies too low

Australian flag-carrier Qantas has reviewed its pilot training procedures following a government report that found a pilot flew a plane to a dangerously low altitude while on descent into Melbourne Airport.

The findings, released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) on Thursday, determined the judgment of the pilot on the Qantas Airbus 330-200 was significantly "reduced due to the combined effects of disrupted and restricted sleep, a limited recent food intake and a cold/virus."

The aircraft, on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne in March 2013, was flown significantly lower than the normal descent profile, with ground proximity sensors warning the pilots that the airplane was only 182 meters above the ground with 17 kilometers to fly until touching down.

The pilot assessed the aircraft's flight path using glide slope indications that were "not valid." As the aircraft was descending on a "visual approach" as opposed to an instrument guided landing, an incorrect assessment was made in determining the airplane's descent profile.

The ATSB concluded that the ineffective altitude target and the ineffective monitoring of the plane's flight path resulted in " significant deviation" of more than 900 meters below the normal descent profile.

The ATSB also identified that limited guidance was provided by Qantas on the conduct of a visual approach and the associated briefing required to ensure flight crew had a shared understanding of the intended approach.

As a result of the ATSB's findings, Qantas updated its training materials for a visual approach. Visual approaches were included as a discussion subject during flight crew route checks, while all visual approaches now require both pilots' approval for proficiency. Endi