Vertical path of Tailwind Airlines B737-400 (TC-TLE) flight TU750

Tailwind Airlines flight TU750 was on approach to Lyon Saint-Exupéry, the crew made a non-precision localizer/DME approach to runway 36R.

The cloud ceiling was close to the MDA.

The final descent began before the final approach point published for the altitude of the aircraft and remained below the theoretical profile for the approach.

An MSAW warning was generated in the control tower. The controller ordered a go-around. The crew made a go-around.

The minimum height provided by the radio altimeter was 250 ft at 1.4 NM from the runway threshold.

the controller said “traffic alert heu go around! Go around!”. The crew of Tailwind Airlines flight TU750 asked him to repeat. The controller ordered twice to go-around (“Terrain alert, go around!”) followed immediately by “Tunisair750 go around!”).

The incident was due to:

• Misidentification of the step-down fix by the crew and;
• ˆInadequate control of the final glide path by the crew.

The publication of two FAPs, one of which is to be used on instruction from the controller, including the fact that its use was extended to the non-precision approach, and the absence of information to the crew concerning the exact identification of the final approach procedure to use, constituted contributory factors.