Overview
Emirates Flight 521, a Boeing 777 with 300 people aboard, encountered severe wind shear and automation challenges on final approach to Dubai in 2016, resulting in a crash landing. All on board survived, but significant procedural and training issues were uncovered, prompting important changes within the airline and airport operations.
Flight Crew and Preparation
- The captain was a 34-year-old UAE national with 7,000+ flight hours, regarded as competent and experienced.
- The first officer, Jeremy Webb from Australia, was more experienced overall but newer to Emirates and the Boeing 777.
- Both pilots were well-rested and had no safety record issues.
- Flight preparations included briefing for possible wind shear and reviewing go-around and wind shear escape maneuvers.
Descent and Approach Conditions
- Weather reports indicated strong winds, high temperatures, and possible wind shear at Dubai.
- Runway 12L was assigned, with a tailwind just below the Boeing 777's allowable landing limit.
- Reports of wind shear by earlier aircraft did not reach Flight 521's crew due to communication gaps with air traffic control.
Landing and Missed Approach Sequence
- The aircraft experienced fluctuating tailwinds and headwinds during final approach, causing lift and unstable descent.
- The plane floated above the runway without touching down, quickly running out of safe landing distance.
- A long landing warning forced the captain to initiate a go-around, but automation prevented the throttles from advancing after the wheels had briefly touched down.
- Pilots failed to notice the engines remained at idle and performed an incorrect go-around procedure.
- The aircraft could not regain enough speed and altitude, resulting in a crash landing with severe structural damage and subsequent fire.
Evacuation and Immediate Aftermath
- Only three out of ten emergency exits were usable, leading to a prolonged evacuation taking nearly seven minutes.
- All passengers survived, though four crew members sustained serious injuries.
- A firefighter died after an explosion in the center wing tank during post-crash rescue operations.
Investigation Findings and Procedural Changes
- The incident exposed gaps in pilot training regarding automation and go-around procedures below 50 ft.
- Emirates revised simulator training to include go-arounds after touchdown and improved pilot monitoring skills.
- Air traffic control procedures were changed to ensure better sharing of wind shear and go-around information from other pilots.
Decisions
- Revise pilot training: Emirates updated simulator and real-flight training for post-touchdown go-arounds and pilot error detection.
- Change ATC communication: Dubai controllers now relay detailed wind shear and go-around reasons to arriving flights.
Action Items
- TBD – Emirates Training Department: Incorporate below-50-ft and post-touchdown go-around procedures in all simulator curricula.
- TBD – Dubai Air Traffic Control: Maintain wind shear and go-around event reporting protocols for all runways and flights.
Recommendations / Advice
- Enhanced pilot understanding of automation interactions is critical, especially during abnormal scenarios.
- Continuous communication of real-time runway conditions and prior incident details should be standard between ATC and flight crews.