Incident Overview
Description
The crew of a Boeing 737, registered VH-VUE and operated by Virgin Australia, were flying a scheduled passenger flight from Melbourne, Victoria to Adelaide, South Australia. Shortly before top of descent, air traffic control instructed the crew to perform a high-speed descent. The crew commenced descent with the first officer as pilot flying and the autopilot engaged, and intended to target a descent speed of 320 kt, which was higher than the normal descent speed of 280 kt. During the descent, the first officer attempted to manage airspeed fluctuations by using changes in the autopilot modes and reductions in the target airspeed. As the aircraft descended through around 17,000 ft, the tailwind affecting VUE decreased suddenly and significantly. The reduction in tailwind caused the indicated airspeed to increase and approach the maximum operating speed limit of 340 kt. The captain responded to the sudden increase in airspeed by abruptly pulling back on the control column, causing the autopilot to disconnect. The resulting control forces caused sudden changes to the aircraft?s pitch attitude and vertical acceleration. Two cabin crew who had been standing in the rear galley were injured, with one sustaining serious injuries.
Primary Cause
Unexpected and sudden change in atmospheric conditions during descent, specifically a decrease in tailwind, leading to rapid airspeed increase and exceeding operating speed limits.Unexpected and sudden change in atmospheric conditions during descent, specifically a decrease in tailwind, leading to rapid airspeed increase and exceeding operating speed limits.Share on:
