Widebody Transport
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Inflight Event / Encounter Loss Of Aircraft Control; Inflight Event / Encounter Wake Vortex Encounter
Flight Crew Executed Go Around / Missed Approach; Flight Crew Regained Aircraft Control
Environment - Non Weather Related; Procedure
At 320 FT AGL (radar altimeter); we encountered the wake from the preceding Airbus which caused our aircraft to roll left and right greater than I could control. At 280 FT AGL I elected to go-around. The cause of the strong wake turbulence was the Airbus we were following and the wind which was 040 at 7 KTS on the surface and 040 10-15 KTS on approach. We were told that we were 4.9 miles behind the Airbus when we asked the Controller about our sequence to the runway prior to calling the airfield in sight. We were told that our speeds were matched and we were told to slow to 170 KIAS and then slowed to 160 and finally to our final approach speed and told to hold that speed until five miles on final. We were stable with all checklists complete prior to 1;000 FT AGL while flying down the glide path. The go-around was uneventful. Tower asked us why we went around and we informed then it was for a wake encounter at low altitude on final. We then got vectors to an uneventful landing. RECAT wake turbulence separation does not work when there is a quartering headwind. Please consider not using the closer spacing during these wind events.
[Narrative 2 had no additional information.]
Wide body flight crew reported wake vortex encounter in trail of an Airbus on final approach to MEM that was strong enough to trigger a go-around.