What the profile screens for
Aircraft path, guidance, configuration, or procedure state departs from a validated low-visibility operating context.
Why it matters
Reduced visual cues increase dependence on procedures, navigation, lighting, surface position, and automatic guidance.
Build the event around relationships—not one number.
Define the operating context
Identify the taxi / approach / landing state, aircraft configuration, location, and any required external data before applying logic.
Screen the signal relationship
Use validated combinations of visibility data, autoland status, localizer deviation; avoid treating one isolated value as the whole event.
Confirm it is a genuine event
Check polarity, units, source, recording rate, dropouts, air/ground logic, persistence, and false-positive mechanisms.
Connect data to the safety question
Review procedures, reports, weather, airport and traffic context, exposure, recurrence, and the strength of the related barriers.
Recorded signals that may help explain the event.
Radio altitude
Height derived from radio altimetry, normally representing the distance from the aircraft to terrain directly below within the system's operating range.
Open parameter guide ↗discrete / modeAutopilot status
Engagement and mode states for automatic flight-control systems; useful analysis normally needs more than a single on/off bit.
Open parameter guide ↗Questions before conclusions
- Q1
Are visibility data, autoland status, localizer deviation valid, correctly decoded, time-aligned, and sampled well enough for this event?
- Q2
What changed immediately before, during, and after the low-visibility operation deviation indication?
- Q3
How do aircraft configuration, weather, airport geometry, automation state, and crew reports change the interpretation?
- Q4
Which current flight manual, SOP, maintenance, or operator event definition controls the final conclusion?
Safety topics that broaden the event review.
Approach minima
Selection, briefing, cross-checking, and observance of applicable decision altitude, minimum descent altitude, visibility, and required visual references.
Open topic profile ↗SAT-067 · Weather & environmentLow-visibility operations
Taxi, takeoff, approach, and landing when visual cues are limited and safety depends more heavily on procedures, lighting, navigation, surveillance, and automation.
Open topic profile ↗Crosswind Operations
Manage alignment, drift, bank, gust response, touchdown sequence, and directional control using aircraft- and operator-specific techniques.
Open topic brief ↗WeatherWindshear and Microburst
Recognize rapid changes in wind vector and the resulting airspeed, path, thrust, and vertical-energy effects close to the ground.
Open topic brief ↗Flight OperationsControlled Flight Into Terrain
Understand how a controllable aircraft can be flown into terrain or an obstacle through path, altitude, navigation, monitoring, or situational-awareness breakdowns.
Open topic brief ↗12 useful starting points
Terminology and topic relationships select these links; the publisher source remains authoritative.
SAFO 21004 — SAFO 21004, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Notification and Pilot Awareness When Conducting an Instrument Landing System (ILS) Autoland Procedure
Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceStatistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, 1959–2024
Boeing's 56th annual statistical summary organizes commercial-jet accident data using stated definitions and the CAST/ICAO occurrence taxonomy.
Open official sourceIATA Annual Safety Report — 2024
IATA's 61st annual report provides an interactive, method-defined view of commercial aviation accident performance and contributing-factor classifications.
Open official sourceAirbus Crosswind Development and Certification
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for aviation safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNear CFIT event during Non Precision Approach
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for approach and landing. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceRadio Altimeter erroneous values
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for navigation and surveillance. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceTerrain Awareness and Warning Systems operations based on GPS data
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for navigation and surveillance and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceWind shear: an invisible enemy to pilots?
Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for weather. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNTSB Safety Alert SA-013 — Controlled Flight Into Terrain in Visual Conditions
Official U.S. National Transportation Safety Board material indexed for navigation and surveillance. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNTSB Safety Alert SA-020 — Reduced Visual References Require Vigilance
Official U.S. National Transportation Safety Board material indexed for aviation safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceNTSB Safety Alert SA-033 — Landing at the Wrong Airport
Official U.S. National Transportation Safety Board material indexed for approach and landing. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.
Open official sourceAnnex 19 — Safety Management, Third Edition
Annex 19 consolidates ICAO safety-management provisions, including State safety responsibilities, SMS, safety-data collection and processing, and the protection and sharing of safety information.
Open official source