On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 11:42:51 -0700, wrote:

Go back to TWA 514 in 1974 and they didn't provide much information at
all with vectors to approach courses.


I thought that was more of a training issue. I have been told that up
until that accident, the training at the airlines (at least at TWA) was
that when ATC cleared you for an approach, descent to the initial charted
altitude on the approach plate was safe.

I was undergoing my instrument training at that time, and both I and my
instructor were surprised that TWA descended based on that approach
clearance. It was a number of years later that I discovered that their
descent was in accord with the then current TWA airline procedures.

There have been more unsafe situations resulting from vectors over the
years than anyone really knows. The NASA database is full of them, but
the FAA ignores the issue. Some are controller errors, some are pilot
errors, and some are a combination of the two.

Concur.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)