Theoretical and Statistical Evaluation of the Physical Height Loss Experienced During a Missed Approach by a Heavy Aircraft Under Vertical Instrument Guidance

David P. Stapleton

Abstract:	Recent efforts to validate the safety of a 200 ft (60 m) Decision Height (DH) for use during GPS/WAAS instrument-guided (LPV) airplane final approaches have entailed evaluation of the height loss that occurs when an airplane executes a missed approach. The total height loss consists of various components, including vertical navigation system error (with latency), altimeter error, pilot delay or anticipation, and physical height loss (which includes the influence of air temperature and density on aircraft performance). Although there is some discussion of the total height loss, this paper assesses primarily the physical height loss component of total height loss and estimates its value only for the important case of heavy, high speed (category D) approaches. Height loss simulation for this case is also considered. Two methods are applied in order to quantify physical height loss and its associated risk: (i) test flight data that was collected from precision (ILS) high speed (category D) missed approaches made by Air Force KC-10 aircraft, and (ii) predictions from a theoretical model devised by the late W. J. G. Pinsker. Calculated quantities include • statistics for KC-10 physical height loss and total height loss during test flight missed approaches, • physical height loss predictions made by the Pinsker model for the same approaches, • statistics to estimate the possible violation of the missed approach protective surfaces during GPS/WAAS instrument-guided category D missed approaches – including risks in the socalled “faulted” cases of a glidepath 30 m high or 30 m low, and • construction of a covariance-based Monte Carlo model for KC-10 missed approach trajectory simulation.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2007) September 25 - 28, 2007 Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth, TX
Pages:	2990 - 2998
Cite this article:	Stapleton, David P., "Theoretical and Statistical Evaluation of the Physical Height Loss Experienced During a Missed Approach by a Heavy Aircraft Under Vertical Instrument Guidance," Proceedings of the 20th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2007), Fort Worth, TX, September 2007, pp. 2990-2998.
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