Ops-Normal.org

Just looking at the No.1 tracked flight on FR24......a scheduled flight from Lisbon to Terceira which should take 2:35. It appears from FR24 that after a couple of holds near the destination he set course back towards Lisbon. TER METARS have been fine all evening. After quite a while the aircraft appears to turn around and head back to TER. So far he appears to have been airborne for 3:50 with 8 minutes remaining to arrival at TER.

Accepting that FR24 data is not always accurate there appear to be some significant speed changes.....
EDIT: Duff FR24 data I think - He has landed and is still shown at FL380.....

The speed appears to be decreasing unsteadily before the altitude changes.
The big speed changes seem to show consistent variations in each high-low cycle, steps and knuckles.
This would not be typical of either the instrument or signalling failures I have seen before.
So, on first guess, the speed variations would appear to be genuine airspeed variations.
It is hard to reconcile the speed changes with any systematic engine component failures, such as a pump failure or a fuel feed problem.
I would be looking at the electronic control components, including the autopilot.
D@mn glad I wasn't on it!

Edit: so, the electronic failures appear to be at the FR24 end. Doesn't explain the unusual flight time, however.

Looking at Arrivals at TER for 3 April it seems there were a lot of cancellations and a diversion. FR6066 is now showing as shortly arriving back at Lisbon on FR24!! Just shows it needs using with caution. So it now appears after a couple of holds FR6066 diverted and never landed at TER. A blocked runway perhaps. The METAR was okay all evening.

Bit tired tonight. I've only just noticed the flight increases altitude from 27k to 33k as the speed increases from 400kts to 530kts.
Well, I could do that it my Tornado, but........

Obviously the electronics at some point!

Could another mitigating factor be that there's not a lot of reception in that area?

I also saw the flight path and thought it odd. The normal diversion for Lajes is Ponta Delgada, but I noticed that they didn't try anywhere else and went straight back to LIS.

This needs investigating by a Daily Mail aviation expert

Woody wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 04, 2024 11:17 am

This needs investigating by a Daily Mail aviation expert

They clearly were aware of all the schools and hospitals on the ground and kept pulling up sharply to avoid them.

Standard RAF accident scene form did include a box to record the distance from the nearest school, since the press always ask. Maybe it still does.
I think the average miss distance in the UK is 2 miles (lots of village elementary schools). Don't know about Portugal/Spain, but I'd guess similar.