DGCA emphasises on reducing unstabilised approaches

Aviation regulator DGCA has charted out a safety action plan with emphasis on reducing unstabilised approaches, a situation during which an aircraft does not maintain either its speed or descent rate among others, to mitigate some identified risks including "runway excursions and overruns".
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified seven key safety priorities and developed corresponding safety action plan to mitigate the identified risks, an official release said.
The announcement of the safety plan comes a day after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States restoring India's aviation safety ratings to the to Category-1 but stressing that DGCA would continue sustaining this status.

One of the factors leading to runway excursions is unstabilised approach which continue to land, it said, adding that the endeavour is to encourage pilots to go around when approach becomes unstabilised.
Many studies have suggested that unstabilised approaches account for most approach and landing accidents.
For this reason, an approach should be stabilised by 1,000 feet (305m) above runway altitude. Otherwise, a go-around should be executed by the pilot.

While the DGCA Air Safety Circular of 2004 prescribes speed control during approach (below FL100 and below 3,000 feet and within 20 nm), the operation circular of 2013 emphasises on non-punitive policy towards the ground.

Similarly, the Air Safety Circular of 2010 requires the presence of cabin crew inside the cockpit and occupy the observer seat in the event if any of the flight crew member leaving the cockpit.
The cabin crew in the flight deck will remain vigilant in case of subtle incapacitation of the flight crew member or any other situation that requires assistance. The cabin crew shall remain in the flight deck till such time the flight crew member returns to the cockpit, the 2010 circular said.
According to the DGCA, the safety action plan also aims at reducing the number of unstabilised approaches by policy intervention and participation by all stakeholders and fine tuning of training of pilots.

The regulator had a meeting with all stakeholders late last month and shared a data of the last two years on the issue with them, the release said.
The study also points out that majority of unstabilised approaches have continued to land, which mirrors the worldwide trend, the DGCA said.