Microburst escape using altitude guidance

Abstract

This paper compares three escape strategies for microburst encounters during final landing approach: altitude guidance, maximum angle-of-attack guidance, and constant pitch guidance. Altitude guidance with the lowest possible commanded altitude appears to be the safest strategy in that it yields the lowest probability of crash. Moreover, the safety of this escape strategy is the most robust against variations in microburst size, strength, and location. In the paper, three different approaches are used for the comparison: Deterministic simulations, a semi-analytic approach, and a statistical approach. All three approaches suggest that altitude guidance with the lowest possible commanded altitude is the safest and most robust strategy.