Summary
- Multiple missed approaches occurred during a Jet Airways flight in 2015 due to bad weather.
- After seven go-arounds, the plane landed safely with minimal fuel remaining.
- The captain was demoted, and the aircraft involved now operates for GOL in Brazil.
Have you ever encountered a missed approach onboard a commercial flight? How about two missed approaches in a row? In 2015, a Jet Airways Boeing 737 encountered not one or two but SIX missed approaches across two airports.
Photo: Mehdi Photos | Shutterstock
Missed approaches are not uncommon, particularly during inclement weather, such as severe storms and low visibility. Upon approaching the runway, when pilots feel that the landing may not be sufficiently safe to carry through, they may call an abort. In other cases, bad weather prevents pilots from aligning with the runway and safely landing the plane. While missed approaches are safe, pilots must follow a “go around” procedure before attempting the landing the second time.
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The flight and aircraft involved
Jet Airways flight 9W555 was a scheduled international passenger flight that originated at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Qatar. Its destination was Cochin International Airport (COK), which serves the city of Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Today, this corridor is plied by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and Qatar Airways, with the flights having a scheduled duration of around four hours.
The date of the flight that made multiple missed approaches was August 17th, 2015. On that day, the Aviation Safety Network noted that the aircraft operating the flight was a Boeing 737-800. This twin-engine narrowbody bore the registration VT-JFA. According to data from ATDB.aero, it was just over three years old at the time. Indeed, the aircraft entered service with Jet Airways back in July 2012.
It ultimately served the airline for just under seven years, before joining Brazilian low-cost carrier GOL in June 2019 via a brief stint at ORIX Aviation. It had 142 passengers and eight members of crew onboard for the flight in question. This would have represented a load factor of around 84.5%, given that Jet Airways fitted the aircraft with 168 seats.
Eventful approaches
For the most part, Jet Airways flight 9W555 passed without incident. Indeed, it was only upon approaching Kochi in the early hours of August 18th, 2015, that things began to take a turn for the worse. Due to the approach path now having low clouds below the decision altitude, the crew opted to make their first missed approach. As it turned out, this would be far from the last time that this happened.
Around 20 minutes later, they had to make another go-around, with conditions not improving in the intervening time. Jet Airways flight 555 was not the only service having difficulties, as another pair of flights had also gone around between these two missed approaches. After holding for around half an hour, the flight abandoned its third approach, nearly an hour after the first.
Due to this extra flying, the aircraft’s fuel had now dropped below the required amount to reach Bangalore Kempegowda International (BLR), initially designated as the flight’s preferred diversionary airport. As such, the crew opted instead to make their way to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV). However, they failed to establish visual contact with the runway there.
Seventh time lucky
The lack of visual contact prompted the crew to go around, bringing the number of missed approaches up to four. After two more failed attempts where they couldn’t establish visual contact, they eventually touched down on the fourth time of asking in Trivandrum, and the seventh overall, with just 349 kg (769 lbs) of fuel left onboard. Indian Aviation News notes that a mayday call was made amid the chaos.
According to the Hindustan Times, the flight’s captain couldn’t see the runway on the final attempt, and had to resort to “going blindly.” The incident was ultimately classified as serious, with the captain being demoted as a result. One of the go-arounds also resulted in the aircraft’s ground proximity warning system going off. Luckily, the final landing attempt was a successful one, and everyone walked away safely.
The aircraft today
As mentioned earlier, the aircraft involved in the incident has been flying for Brazilian budget airline GOL since June 2019. It has done so under the registration PR-GZI, with an all-economy 186-seat configuration. A quick look at SeatGuru shows that this is the standard domestic setup for GOL’s 737-800s. However, the aircraft has not flown recently, and according to Planespotters.net, it has been stored at Belo Horizonte International Airport (CNF) since February 2024.
Faced with growing financial challenges, Jet Airways itself went on to cease all flight operations in April 2019. Data from ch-aviation shows that in total, Jet Airways operated 81 737-800s.At the time of its collapse, the airline was operating a fleet of:
- Boeing 737s
- Airbus A330s
- ATR 72s.
Today, Cochin International Airport is the eighth-busiest airport in India, but rises to third-busiest when looking only at international passenger numbers. It is connected to destinations across India, the Middle East, and Asia, and also has one long-haul service to London Gatwick (LGW), operated by Air India with its Boeing 787 aircraft.
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What do you make of this incident? Have you ever been onboard a flight that has made a missed approach? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.