Michael, I know you fly but is it really reasonable to make those kind of assumptions based on that article alone?
Perhaps to eliminate blame on the flight crew was wrong of me, especially considering that somebody, somewhere, messed up on the fuel calculations (possibly them). But fuel aside, this situation could not have been handled any differently.
With insufficient fuel for a second approach, the flight crew had to get it right first time, and with a direct crosswind of that strength, landing on the runway assigned by the control tower was not a possibility. With the wind out of 310 and a runway 31 available at the airport, common sense surely tells anybody – whether they fly or not – that this is the runway that should be in use.
Pan Pan Pan is the correct terminology when declaring an emergency is it not?!
Pan Pan is actually used for situations of urgency, where immediate assistance is not required and where the aircraft and its occupants are not in immediate danger.
Mayday is used when the problem is much more severe and where the safety of the those on board cannot be guaranteed due to some sort of imminent danger. Immediate assistance is expected in this situation.
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