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 The Safety Board notes that, although Guam was not a designated special airport requiring special training or familiarization by flight crews, Korean Air encouraged its flight crews to view the airport familiarization video. However, the Guam familiarization video gave only a generalized description of the topography of the island of Guam. Although the video mentioned some of the obstacles near the approach course, it did not specifically state that the UNZ VOR was located on a hill, the DME was not colocated with the localizer, or the final approach segment was over hilly or mountainous terrain.

Even though the airport familiarization video accurately identified some landmarks and advised pilots not to fly over a residential area and a Naval hospital (for noise abatement), the Safety Board also notes with concern that the video contained no discussion of factors that made operations into Guam challenging, such as the high terrain along the approach course or in the vicinity of the airport. Further, the presentation did not describe the complexity of the Guam nonprecision approaches, including the multiple step-down fixes, the use of two separate navigation facilities (the localizer and the VOR), and the countdown/count up DME procedure.

The Safety Board concludes that the Korean Air airport familiarization video for Guam, by emphasizing the visual aspects of the approach, fostered the expectation by company flight crews of a visual approach and, by not emphasizing the terrain hazards and offset DME factors, did not adequately prepare flight crews for the range of potential challenges associated with operations into Guam. Thus, the Safety Board believes that the KCAB should require Korean Air to revise its video presentation for Guam to emphasize that instrument approaches should also be expected and describe the complexity of such approaches and the significant terrain along the approach courses and in the vicinity of the airport.

The Safety Board addressed the issue of the classification of special airports and approaches to certain airports in connection with its investigation of the October 19, 1996, accident involving Delta Air Lines flight 554, an MD-88, at LaGuardia Airport in New York. On August 25, 1997, the Board issued Safety Recommendations A-97-92 through -94, asking the FAA to develop and publish "specific criteria and conditions" for the classification of special airports (including special runways and/or special approaches) and use these criteria to evaluate all airports and "update special airport publications." On November 13, 1997, the FAA responded that it was revising Advisory Circular (AC) 121.445, "Pilot-in-Command Qualifications for Special Area/Routes and Airports," and that the revision would address the issues discussed in the safety recommendations. On August 17, 1998, the Board classified Safety Recommendations A-97-92 through -94 "Open--Acceptable Response" pending completion of the AC. The Board recognizes that the FAA's eventual evaluation of Guam against the newly developed criteria might result in its classification as a special airport. The Safety Board further recognizes that, because the captain flew into Guam and viewed the Guam airport familiarization video during July 1997, he would have been authorized to conduct the accident flight even if Guam had been classified as a special airport.

Nonetheless, the Safety Board concludes that the challenges associated with operations to Guam International Airport support its immediate consideration as a special