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I

nvestigators analysing last year’s

Emirates Boeing 777-300 crash

at Dubai have identified safety

improvements relating to weather

data passed to the cockpit crew

before the accident.

The review of the weather in-

formation was disclosed in an in-

terim update on the 3 August

2016 event, during which the air-

craft – which touched down

1,100m (3,600ft) long on runway

12L – failed to climb away during

an attempted go-around and

came down on the runway with

its undercarriage retracted.

The weather at the time, par-

ticularly the wind situation, has

become a focus for the investiga-

tion. The United Arab Emirates

General Civil Aviation Authority

previously determined that, in the

10min interval before the 777’s ar-

rival, two of the four inbound air-

craft executed a go-around.

After the missed approaches,

the Dubai air traffic watch

manager informed the air traffic

co-ordinator of “unusual” wind

conditions, adding that a winds-

hear warning had been issued on

the automatic terminal informa-

tion system – which the 777 crew

had received.

The watch manager subse-

quently discussed the wind con-

ditions with the approach control-

ler. Tailwind components were

indicated on runway 12L and the

alternative 30L but, while the con-

ditions were seen as “strange”,

says the inquiry, runway 12L was

agreed to be the best option.

Just 2min later, at the same time

as the 777 (A6-EMW) was at-

tempting its go-around, the ap-

proach controller contacted the

watch manager to inform him that

a runway change was being initi-

ated. The crash occurred 10s later.

The 777 had been subject to a

headwind as it descended

through 1,100ft but this started to

change to a tailwind component,

which increased to a maximum of

16kt (30km/h). But the wind di-

rection began to change again, to a

headwind, at a height of 5ft, just 5s

before touchdown.

Investigators have “identified

safety enhancements related to

the validity of weather informa-

tion” given to the crew, says the

inquiry update. ■

INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI- MORROW LONDON

Wind data focus of

Dubai crash probe

Improved weather information could have helped crew of

Emirates 777 that came down with undercarriage retracted

STR/EPA/REX/Shutterstock

Aircraft’s fuselage was destroyed in a blaze that killed one firefighter

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