The second edition of the document “Unstable Approaches: Risk Mitigation Policies, Procedures and Best Practices” has been published by IATA, CANSO, IFATCA and IFALPA. The main purpose of the document is to enhance the overall awareness of the contributing factors and the possible outcomes of unstabilised approaches, given that about 65% of all the aviation accidents recorded between 2011 and 2015 took part during the approach and landing phases.

The documents starts with an introduction about the different phases of flight and what constitutes a stabilised approach. It then describes what an unstabilised approach is, the factors that can lead to it and the mitigations that can be put in place to limit its occurrence. In case of an unstabilised approach, the most likely outcome is a go-around, which is cover extensively in the document. In the final part of the document, aspects related to the management of the descent profile during the approach and technological and operational improvements introduced to reduce the likelihood of unstabilised approaches are covered.

You can access the document here.