Many factors go into a pilot's decision to land

By Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX - Pilots make the final call on whether it's safe to land a plane in bad weather, such as the conditions that prevailed early Sunday when an Air Canada passenger jet crashed at Halifax airport, aviation industry experts say.

Air Canada was adamant Sunday that the conditions were safe for the AC624 to land. Accident investigators later said it was too early to know if the weather played a role in the crash.

Pilots make a decision based on the information relayed to them by the tower, which includes runway conditions and other factors -- most importantly, whether the pilot can see the runway.

"The instruments will bring him to a certain altitude, then the pilot makes the decision, usually based on whether he can see the runway, whether to land," says Jonathan Bagg of Nav Canada, the country's air navigation service provider.

According to Bagg, there are many factors that enter into a pilot's decision to land.

Transport Canada is responsible for setting certain aviation guidelines, such as the minimum height at which an aircraft can approach the airport on an instrument approach. Once in landing range, the pilot decides if there is enough visibility for a safe landing.

"Transport Canada sets when pilots should be making a decision," Bagg said.

Bagg and Peter Spurway, a spokesman for Halifax Stanfield International Airport, say that the landing minimum is based on a number of factors, which can include the type of navigational equipment at the airport, the size of the plane and the weather.

Transport Canada did not immediately answer specific questions but the agency said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation in Halifax.

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Many factors go into a pilot's decision to land