Southwest 737 aborts landing due to fog at DEN

[GON]

Fascinating video from earlier today. A SWA 737 aborts landing in sunny skies due to fog on the runway.

My Wife dropped our Daughter and Grandsons off at DEN at this same time, Wife reported being blinded by the sun and fog. How weird is that.

Denver International Airport (DIA) faced significant delays and a brief ground stop on Friday, November 17, due to dense fog Video captured by Paul Thompson shows an airplane coming in to land, but ultimately aborting the landing and ascending. The airplane in the video reportedly landed 43 minutes later, according to FlightAware. FlightAware also reported at least 195 delays and four cancellations at the airport as of early Friday afternoon. The Denver Gazette said the ground stop at DIA, announced around 7:30 am, lasted until 8:45, citing the Federal Aviation Administration.

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[mk378]

Landing, taking off, or taxiing through fog has a large risk of hitting something on the ground that was not seen. Some ground collisions have had large numbers of fatalities.

 

[andrew_j]

Guessing abort happened because they did not set plane up for/expect a “blind” landing.

 

[Astro14]

Guessing abort happened because they did not set plane up for/expect a “blind” landing.

SWA doesn't have the full CAT III autoland capabilities, either. They have HUDs - which allow CAT II minima. A good friend of mine, a longtime SWA Captain, and fanboy, was talking about low visibility approaches at a cocktail party. He asked what we go down to - and I said, "300 RVR".

He said, "Well, we can go down to 200"

But he was talking ceiling...And I was talking RVR. I laughed.

I told him, "300 feet visibility, zero ceiling" "When you need 1800 feet visibility, with a 200 foot ceiling, to shoot the approach, we need only 300 feet visibility, and no ceiling."

He was shocked. He had no idea that our ancient warrior, the 757/767, could do that.

On this day, though, if you don't brief a HUD landing, and CAT II minima - you have to go around at the CAT I minima that you planned. You don't change the approach criteria during the approach.

 

[Astro14]

Landing, taking off, or taxiing through fog has a large risk of hitting something on the ground that was not seen. Some ground collisions have had large numbers of fatalities.

A lot has changed since Tenerife. The "large risk" is no longer there. Ground radar, airport lighting and marking improvements, procedural changes, all of it. Crews have to be trained and airports certified, but it's not a "large risk", it is a large training issue.

 

[97prizm]

Fascinating video from earlier today. A SWA 737 aborts landing in sunny skies due to fog on the runway.

My Wife dropped our Daughter and Grandsons off at DEN at this same time, Wife reported being blinded by the sun and fog. How weird is that.

Denver International Airport (DIA) faced significant delays and a brief ground stop on Friday, November 17, due to dense fog Video captured by Paul Thompson shows an airplane coming in to land, but ultimately aborting the landing and ascending. The airplane in the video reportedly landed 43 minutes later, according to FlightAware. FlightAware also reported at least 195 delays and four cancellations at the airport as of early Friday afternoon. The Denver Gazette said the ground stop at DIA, announced around 7:30 am, lasted until 8:45, citing the Federal Aviation Administration.

MSN

www.msn.com

DIA can get some serious fog. Other times the airport is clear and the surrounding area is Foggy.