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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0062.PDF
Mm TRANSPORT Air safety takes a dive DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON THE AMERICAN Airlines Boe ing 757 crash in Colombia on 20 December contributed to a plunge in world airline-safety fig ures during the last six months of 1995, following the most promis ing first half-year period in his tory. Provisional figures show that there were just over 1,200 deaths in around 60 fatal accidents dur ing the year. Worldwide analysis of 1995 shows that 585 people died in nine fatal accidents on jet-powered scheduled flights, with four of those accidents and 382 of the fatalities occurring in December alone. There were 353 fatalities in nine accidents involving non- scheduled passenger aircraft. Re gional and commuter airlines suffered 24 fatal accidents in which a total of 220 people died, while 16 accidents to cargo flights accounted for 40 aircrew deaths. The American 757 crashed into a 12,000ft (3,600m) mountain near Cali, Colombia, killing all 160 peo ple on board. The accident has already been attributed by die US and Colombian authorities to air crew error. Now US Federal Aviation Administration Admin istrator David Hinson has ordered a review of American Airlines' pilot training and cockpit procedures. Colombian accident investigators confirm that the 757 crew failed to carry out a pre-descent approach briefing or checks. Cali Airport is in a steep-sided, north/south-orien tated valley. The co-pilot first called Cali air traffic control (ATC) when the flight was 63 miles north of die Cali VHF omni-range/distance measur ing equipment (VOR/DME) navi gation beacon, descending to 20,000ft. He received clearance to descend to 15,000ft and proceed direct to the Cali beacon. This is south of Cali airport and is the key beacon in a VOR/DME step-let down to the runway (01/19). The northbound runway direction (01) is normally used because it has an instrument-landing system. The 757's autopilot was engaged and the flight-management system (FMS) selected to the lateral navigation mode. ATC has no effective sur veillance radar once aircraft reach mountaintop level — about 15,000ft. Because the airport wind was calm, the controller offered the crew an approach to the south bound runway (19). The crew accepted, and was cleared for "the VOR/DME 19 Rozo One arrival", and told to report reaching Tulua VOR. Tulua, 63km (34nm) north of Cali Airport, marks the start of the Rozo One VOR/DME ap proach; Rozo is a non-directional navigation beacon on the approach 5km north of Cali Airport. The aircraft, however, had already passed the Tulua beacon, but the pilots apparently did not realise this. The crew requested clearance direct to Rozo, and then "...do the Rozo arrival". ATC had said, after some further exchanges, "...affir mative, direct Rozo One and then runway 19", but repeated that the crew had to report over Tulua first. ATC advised that, after Tulua, the approach consisted of reach ing 5,000ft by 21nm DME [from the Cali beacon]. Meanwhile the crew continued descent through the cleared 15,000ft, with airbrakes selected to increase the rate of descent. When they finally entered Tulua on the FMS, the aircraft began a fatal 90s left turn (initially east ward) to return to the beacon. Then the pilots selected head ing mode on the FMS and turned the aircraft right. The aircraft hit the mountain with the ground- proximity-warning system order ing "pull-up". The airbrakes were still deployed. • Full analysis of 1995 world air line safety will appear in Flight International, 17-23 January NEWS IN BRIEF • CATHAY CANCELS Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled plans to relocate its flight-training school to Australia. The cancellation represents an embarrass ment to the Australian Gov ernment after it had agreed to make key tax concessions for Cathay to ensure that the training venture went ahead. The Hong Kong- based airline says that sever al recent developments have made it cost-effective to keep the simulator unit in the colony. "We have been offered land at a lower price than anticipated and, fur thermore, we have con firmed plans to invest in a new headquarters adjacent to the new Chep Lap Kok Airport that includes a 500- room staff hotel", the carri er says. Business Express will return RJ70s ANDREW DOYLE/LONDON US REGIONAL OPERATOR Business Express is to hand back all three of its Avro International Aerospace RJ70s to the leasing company, casting doubts over die future of its remaining nine firm orders and eight options for the type. The first of the diree aircraft, which are to be re-delivered to Air Baltic, will be returned this month, followed by the others in April. Avro confirms that the Trident Jet Leasing-owned aircraft are being transferred to the Latvian flag carrier on long-term leases, and says tliat it "...will be making a fur ther statement about Business Express in the near future". It adds diat the Delta Con nection carrier's remaining com mitments for the type are "subject to negotiation". Business Express is to date the only US customer for the Avroliner. Business Express orders for RJ70s are now in doubt Gary Ellmer, chairman and chief operating officer at Business Express, says that the airline decid ed to return its RJ70s because of the "...extremely seasonal, complex, type of business we run, although the aircraft has done well for us". Air Baltic, a joint venture bet ween Latvia, Baltic International USA, Scandinavian Airlines System and Swedish and Danish invest ment funds, also evaluated the Fok- ker 70, McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-80 and Boeing 737-200 before opting for RJ70s. On 31 December, the carrier re turned two Boeing 727s wet-leased from Baltic International USA, and began operating a British Aero space 146-200 leased from Manx Airlines on 1 January. This will be returned at the end of March. The airline will operate its RJ70s between Riga and Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London and Stockholm. Q FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 - 16 January 1996
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