B748, vicinity Hong Kong China, 2017

B748, vicinity Hong Kong China, 2017

Summary

On 24 September 2017, a Boeing 747-8UF, which had just made an easterly takeoff from Hong Kong on a moonless night but in good visibility, deviated from its correctly acknowledged SID clearance towards steep terrain and a resultant EGPWS PULL UP Warning was immediately actioned resulting in a terrain clearance of approximately 670 feet. The Investigation found that the SID track deviation was caused by the inadvertently incorrect input of a SID clearance which was supposed to be issued only to locally-based operators whereas the flight concerned was being operated by a foreign operator on behalf of a locally-based one.

Description

On 24 September 2017, a Boeing 747-8UF (N856GT) being operated by Atlas Air with an augmented crew for Cathay Pacific Airlines on a cargo flight from Hong Kong to Anchorage USA as CPA86 with one positioning company pilot who was not type-rated also on the flight deck deviated from its SID clearance shortly after takeoff from runway towards rising terrain. ATC observed the deviation and instructed the flight to turn left to regain it but a Mode 2A EGPWS PULL UP Warning occurred and was immediately actioned with terrain clearance achieved.

Investigation

An Investigation was opened by the Accident Investigation Division of the Civil Aviation Department of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR and transferred to the newly established Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) in 2018. Recorded FDR and CVR data relevant to the Investigation was unavailable but the aircraft operator provided a flight animation based on QAR data and an annotated recreation of the aircraft ground track during the deviation. 

The full content of this page is available to registered users only.
Please Log in or Register

SKYbrary Partners:

Safety knowledge contributed by: