Shifty winds make landing risky at Chennai

Chennai: If you have ever felt that landing at Chennai airport is a jerkier experience than at any other airport, you are not without reason. Wind shear, which was initially suspected to be one of the reasons for an Emirates Airlines taking a plunge of more than 1,000 feet above Goa on Sunday morning, is the prime culprit here.
Chennai is prone to low level wind shear — a sudden shift in speed or direction of wind — especially during the summer months. Though considered an aviation hazard, the airport met department is struggling to make an efficient forecast of wind shear as pilots seldom report the experience, denying adequate data.
Wind shear at heights of 3,300 feet or less is considered to be dangerous for aircraft because it will lose its altitude unexpectedly, causing it to overshoot the runway. Pilots will be able to correct the altitude even after hitting a wind shear if they are flying sufficiently high. But, if the aircraft is flying at less than 1,000 feet, a wind shear can even cause a crash.
According to statistics, only 221 instances of wind shear have been reported by cockpit crew between 1987 and 2007 at Chennai airport.
27/04/10 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Apr 2010, Safety Apr 2010