On 18 June 2013, a Boeing 737-800 crew en route to Adelaide learned that un-forecast below-minima weather had developed there and decided to divert to their designated alternate, Mildura, approximately 220nm away where both the weather report and forecast were much better. However, on arrival at Mildura, an un-forecast rapid deterioration to thick fog had occurred with insufficient fuel to divert elsewhere. The only available approach was flown to a successful landing achieved after exceeding the minimum altitude by 240 feet to gain sight of the runway. An observation immediately afterwards gave visibility 900 metres in fog with cloudbase 100 feet.
Description
On 18 June 2013, a Boeing 737-800 (VH-VYK) being operated by Qantas Airways on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Sydney to Adelaide as Qantas 735 with 152 persons on board was unable to land at its destination due to a deterioration in the weather there. Upon diversion to its designated alternate, Mildura, the weather had deteriorated but there was insufficient fuel to go anywhere else and so the only available (non precision) approach was continued below the MDA by 240 feet until the runway was visually acquired in day IMC on emerging from cloud at a reported 150 feet agl.
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