Air Asia Flight D7237 was forced to turn back to Perth from "technical issue"

[SkyMaster]

Why would the lack of engine power affect the use of IFR for landing?

An IFR approach requires the aircraft to fly along a very precise route over fixes on the ground, at specified altitudes. This is done in order to position the aircraft for the final approach phase, where the aircraft is aligned with the runway, at the correct altitude. The goal being to maintain sufficient separation between the aircraft and the ground or any obstacle. When on final approach (aligned with the runway), the aircraft is descending on a slope of 3° (typically). 3° is fairly flat and engine power is required to maintain this slope of 3°. Engine power is required at all phases of a flight done under an IFR flight regime.

Even the visual approach slope lights installed on the side of the runway threshold are adjusted for the 3° slope. A gliding aircraft, in landing configuration, is descending at an angle much more steeper than 3°.

In an emergency scenario where all engine power is lost, to make it to a runway, the meteorological condition would need to be such that the crew can see the runway as early as possible in order to make an approach in visual condition. Sky clear and unlimited visibility, in daylight, would be ideal for this scenario.

 

[SeanB]

That said, I've refrained from stating an opinion on the judgement of the flight crew in this incident. I wasn't in the cockpit or onboard the plane so I'm going to assume that the pilots made a reasonable decision based on all of the information they had at hand.

Wise.   I am a 'pilot'.  ( little single piston engines ).  Have personally known several folks who are no longer with us, because of 'incidents' that occured.  What was very upseting at the time, was the rumor and speculation of what happened.

That is one reason i really will never fly in a plane where I am going to be an appreciable part of the allowable mass. He was killed out at sea for some reason, hard to determine what caused the accident, just he went into the ocean and was killed along with the passenger.