Strange FlightRadar24 'diversion' of Ryanair flight from Stanstead to Dublin

[Ian Jackson]

This evening, I just happened to be having a look at FlightRadar24, and I noticed that RYR7XN from Stanstead to Dublin had done an abrupt U-turn over Manchester. It was now retracing its course. FlightRadar's additional information changed to "Diverting to - London (Stanstead)" - and it indeed duly landed back at Stanstead.

However, when cross-checking with FlightAware (flight RYR212 / FR212), while the flight track on the map is the exactly the same as FlightRadar24, rest of the information clearly indicates that the plane landed on time in Dublin.

What's going on?

[Andy Burns]

speculation that autopilot broke?

[Ian Jackson]

Thanks. Nicely spotted! But I wonder why does FlightAware say it landed at Dublin?

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail]>, at 22:20:11 on Thu, 19 Aug 2021, Ian Jackson [e-mail]> remarked:

Does it? Or that it was expected to. What time was given - the scheduled arrival or something else.

If non-arrival doesn't at some point trigger their site to flip from "expected" to "cancelled" rather than "expected" to "still expected", that's a bug.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

just proves modern pilots are useless....

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

That is probably the manual bit on the web site and he was too busy on facebook to notice!

Brian

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Ian Jackson explained on 19/08/2021 :

Why go all that way, before turning round and returning to the point of origin?

[Ian Jackson]

In message <$R6WZQMu$ [e-mail], Roland Perry [e-mail]> writes

FlightAware definitely showed that it had landed at Dublin, and exactly on time.

If the turn-back was caused by a problem with the autopilot, presumably the pilot had to fly the plane manually back to Stanstead. But as he/she was somewhat more than half-way to Dublin, why not simply continue onward? Possibly because it was safer to stay over land?

[Andy Burns]

You'd have thought they could let the pilots fly it manually to Dublin and fix it there, but maybe they have a policy like not crossing over water without fully working autopilot(s)?

[Steve Walker]

Or because their flights typically go from A to B to C to D to E and back to A, back to back, and it was easier for them to have the plane at Stanstead for fault-finding and repair.

[nothanks]

Why have you added to the pollution on a DIY forum? A better place to have asked would have been on a spotter forum or (maybe)

[Ian Jackson]

Maybe - but I expect Ryanair have adequate servicing facilities at Dublin. I don't think the passengers would have been very happy going back to Stanstead (or was it just carrying freight?).

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

[e-mail] presented the following explanation :

Why are you so obsessed with pollution of a newsgroup and when were you appointed its moderator?

uk.d-i-y is one of the few active newsgroups and a good place to post, to obtain a quick and intelligent reply. Better an active group with some off topic posts, than a dead group.

[Ian Jackson]

I posted the question while the flight situation was live - there's a darn sight worse 'pollution' in this NG than asking a simple OT (and somewhat urgent) question to which I felt I sure I would get a sensible answer!. Also, I don't really do web forums.

[The Natural Philosopher]

At three times the price. Stansted is their base. That's where they have the staff and the spares and the kit

[charles]

Perhaps the company had no repair facilties at Dublin.

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail]>, at 08:40:25 on Fri, 20 Aug 2021, Ian Jackson [e-mail]> remarked:

Then I conclude that this was an "expected" time. The chances of any flight landing *exactly* on time is pretty remote.

You'd have to ask a pilot.

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail]>, at 10:36:41 on Fri, 20 Aug 2021, Ian Jackson [e-mail]> remarked:

The only flight I've been on which was turned back, it happened ten minutes out of Gatwick on the way to Schiphol, where the airline (BA) could also have expected to be able to make repairs.

But according to the pilot, he was mandated to turn back. It was a fault (probably in the instrumentation) in the de-icing equipment, in the summer.

[Andy Burns]

I don't think the water vapour in the clouds knows what season it is

[Ian Jackson]

But you have to the balance the problem costing more to investigate and repair in Dublin, and the cost of the aborted 'flight to nowhere' (and the annoyance to a plane-load of pissed-off passengers)?

Ronald Perry says that the pilot was 'mandated to turn back', but while I'm sure they know best, I do wonder how much further the flight would have gone before it more sense simply to continue?