Exceeding of flight parameters
What this relates to
Pilots or external influences such as weather-induced turbulence or wind shear can cause the flight parameters to be exceeded. This includes excessively rapid changes in airspeed, direction or attitude, and exceeding the technical limits of aircraft systems.
Example
On approach to an airport, a passenger aircraft encounters severe turbulence. The pilot corrects for this via the elevator inputs. This is not sufficient. The alarm for excessive banking of the aircraft goes off. The pilot decides to abort the approach. The second approach is successful and the aircraft lands safely.
Commentary on the 2023 figures
The number of incidents per 10,000 aircraft movements has decreased slightly over the last two years: from 9 in 2022 to 7 in 2023. Almost always – 97% of the time – it is the flight crews in commercial air transport who report that flight parameters have been exceeded. 65% of the cases in which parameters were exceeded occurred during the approach or landing phase. Most frequent cause: severe weather conditions such as turbulence or wind shear. Exceeding of parameters includes overspeed or underspeed in all phases of flight (60%), exceeding the banking angle (15%) and aircraft pitch deviations (25%).
