David Learmount/LONDON
All 135 passengers and eight crew died when a Gulf Air Airbus A320 crashed into the sea during a night approach to runway 12 at Bahrain International Airport on 23 August.
The aircraft turned left and dived into the sea, having gone around from a second approach, according to Bahrain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Fragmented wreckage was strewn in the waters 2.8km (1.5nm) to the north of the airfield.
Why the eight-year-old aircraft (A40-EK), inbound from Cairo on 23 August, abandoned the approaches is not clear, but no emergency or technical problems were declared, according to the CAA. Gulf Air says that, on its first approach, the aircraft was at 600ft (180m) when it was 1nm (1.8km) from the runway, well above a normal 3° flight path, and the pilot elected to circle for a second attempt. Runway 12 does not have an instrument landing system. There is either a localiser/distance measuring equipment (DME) or a VOR/DME. The night visibility was excellent with little or no cloud, however.
According to Gulf Air, the second approach was a go-around from 300ft. The aircraft was cleared to turn left and climb to 2,000ft to position for a third approach. During this manoeuvre, the CAA confirms, the aircraft "veered into the sea".
Source: Flight International
