OPINION: After Indonesia AirAsia crash, hand-wringing is not enough
Source: 
14:55 7 Jan 2015
Modern airliners should not fall out of the sky, so why did
an Indonesia AirAsia Airbus A320 do so with no emergency
call? Unless it was some form of terrorism or sabotage one
can only look to previous experience for answers.
In two other recent cases aircraft did drop out of the sky in
similar circumstances. Their crews were also navigating
tropical skies and manoeuvring to avoid storms, and both
went missing without emergency calls. In both cases it
took about two days to locate wreckage.
similar circumstances. Their crews were also navigating
tropical skies and manoeuvring to avoid storms, and both
went missing without emergency calls. In both cases it
took about two days to locate wreckage.
The most recent involved an Air Algerie flight from
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to Algiers. Early in the cruise
crew advised ATC they were changing course to avoid
weather, then the aircraft crashed. The final accident
report is not out, but data from the flight recorders is. The
aircraft – clearly subject to turbulence, windshear and
probably icing – underwent large changes in attitude and
power setting before crew lost control.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to Algiers. Early in the cruise
crew advised ATC they were changing course to avoid
weather, then the aircraft crashed. The final accident
report is not out, but data from the flight recorders is. The
aircraft – clearly subject to turbulence, windshear and
probably icing – underwent large changes in attitude and
power setting before crew lost control.
The other event was Air France flight 447 in 2009.
Atmospheric ice crystals momentarily blocked theA330’s
pitot tubes, robbing the crew of airspeed information and
tripping out the autopilot. The pilot flying reacted as if
shocked, and soon the aircraft was out of control. In both
cases the aircraft could have been safely managed despite
the adverse weather, but they were not. The industry is
familiar with this syndrome, but still is doing nothing more
than wringing its hands.
Atmospheric ice crystals momentarily blocked theA330’s
pitot tubes, robbing the crew of airspeed information and
tripping out the autopilot. The pilot flying reacted as if
shocked, and soon the aircraft was out of control. In both
cases the aircraft could have been safely managed despite
the adverse weather, but they were not. The industry is
familiar with this syndrome, but still is doing nothing more
than wringing its hands.
The NTSB released its annual Most Wanted List for safety improvements on Tuesday morning, and for general aviation the number-one issue is loss-of-control accidents. "The Most Wanted List is our roadmap for 2015," said NTSB acting chairman Christopher Hart. "This list is grounded in the accident investigations by which NTSB learns safety lessons, and in the recommendations that are NTSB's primary safety product. At the NTSB we want to make new strides in transportation safety in 2015, and we want to lay the groundwork for years that are even safer." Loss of control is not new as a GA issue. A General Aviation Joint Steering Committee conducted a detailed analysis in 2013 that found for the period 2001-2010, loss of control caused 40 percent of fatal GA accidents. The FAA and the industry subsequently have worked to address the problem with more training programs and by encouraging the use of angle-of-attack indicators. Also on the NTSB list this year is the safety of search-and-rescue and law-enforcement missions flown by helicopters operated by local, state and federal governments. Last year, the board cited identification and communication of hazardous weather as its most-wanted safety improvement for general aviation. "These are safety improvements for which the time is ripe for action," said Hart. "We want [the list] to be a roadmap for policy makers and legislators as well." |
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.