"Freak winds" that make pilots think they are about to buy the farm on approach/departure generally come from three sources:
- Frontal/thunderstorm (including tornado/windshear - normally extreme)
- Dust devil/willy-willy (in dry air, generally not extreme)
- Wake turbulence from previous acft (can be extreme)
The detailed report will be interesting, as the above causes are normally avoided by proper planning and operation.
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/jetstar-pilots-thought-they-were-going-t...