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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0635.PDF
LETTERS Pilot suicide a hasty conclusion in the Silk Air accident I feel compelled to respond to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) comments on die final report by the Indo nesian National Transportation Safety Committee of the SilkAir accident. These comments, taken at face value, seem to both contradict the accident report of die Indonesian Government, and proceed from a very diin evidence base to a troubling conclusion. The NTSB, finding no convenient "smoking gun" and, relying on a psychological autopsy, concludes diat die captain committed suicide and was responsible for die deaths of his passengers and crew. There are no recordings of the final minutes of the flight. The high speed of the impact in a dif- Accountancy is no 'dead hand' I was furious to read Noel Falconer describing "die dead hand of accountancy" (Flight International, 30January- 5 February). No professional accountant would behave as such if diey valued the future. If accountancy were a "dead hand", then the Airbus A3 20 would never have flown with fly- by-wire; Scaled Composites would never have found capital to start business; and neither British Airways nor Air France would have been able to operate success ful Concorde services for so long. All wise professional accountants recognise the benefits of innovation, such as improved efficiency, marketing appeal, ease of operation etc. Finance must of course ensure these wordiwhile objectives are achieved cost- effectively; but this is an enabling, not a killing, role. Any "dead hand" comes from unimaginative management, normally focused on short-term goals at the expense of the long. Of course, such management might well include (bad) ficult location resulted in little surviving physical evidence. Had some odier investigative agency released such comments to an NTSB report, the NTSB response would no doubt have been swift and predictable. That it feels that it can act in a manner where others would be censured reveals a certain arrogance, which is troubling in an agency tasked widi the need for objectiv ity. That the conclusions of an international investigation can be contradicted by NTSB con jecture is inexcusable. Suicide by pilots of commer cial aircraft is so rare that it has never been positively document ed by any investigation. Now, widiin just two years, the NTSB has inferred the existence of sui- accountants - among many odiers. Maybe this makes them as an easy target. But it would be helpful if blame for mediocrity could be placed where it belongs. DAVID BELL Melbourn, Cambs, UK TAP/SAir: putting the record straight Re the artiaie: "SAir drops Bruggisser after rejecting alliance strategy" (Flight International, 30 January), I would like to clarify that TAP Air Portugal is indeed a founding member of the Qualiflyer Group established in 1998, and is still an active partner of that alliance. SAirGroup, how ever, does not hold equity in TAP. For that matter, SAirGroup and the Portuguese Government - as the only shareholder to date - announced, after agreeing on 3 February last year, that the SAirGroup would take a 34% equity stake in TAP Air Portugal's privatisation in time. This never became effective, since a year later, on 1 February this year, the SAir Group decided to wididraw from the TAP Air Portugal privatisation process, as made cide in two separate accidents. In neither case can the allegation be proven. In both cases, other gov ernments have pointed to other possible explanations which the NTSB dismisses. We would hope that the NTSB would be more thorough in exploring other possible caus es before proceeding to die sui cide explanation. If it is considered impossible to prevent a suicide attempt, it makes more sense to exhaust every other pos sibility that might be corrected before declaring die investiga tion complete. TED MURPHY President, International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations Q.FALPA) Chertsey, UK public by bodi parties (SAirGroup and the Portuguese Government). ANTONIO MONTEIRO TAP Air Portugal, Lisbon Why can V service carts be secured? In Japan Airlines' near collision on 31 January, heavy service carts flew around die cabin. It was lucky no-one died. In 1997, Japan Airlines' Boeing MD-11 had pitch oscillation in which a service cart flew around die galley and killed one of the cabin attendants.The cart was secured in stowage but not prevented from lifting off in service. Why do manufacturers not consider securing carts when in use? It would be easy to install a guide rail or wire in the aisle floor or to make a lightweight cart. Most turbulence accidents occur in cruise when cabin services are in progress. Cabin attendants always face die risk of the carts flying around. Secured carts would ensure greater safety for attendants. TOMOKATSUSATO Fukuoka, Japan The opinionson this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Flight International cannot undertake to publish letters without name and address and reserves the right to select or edit letters. Address: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK E-mail: flight.international@rbi.co.uk WHAT'S ON Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences 21-22 February Tel Aviv, Israel Tel+972 (4) 829 2713 Fax+972(4)823 1848 E-mail alice@aerodyne.technion.ac.il EyeForAerospace West 2001 26-28 February Los Angeles, USA Td+44 (0)20 7375 75 75 Fax+44 (0)20 7375 75 76 E-mail rachel@eyeforaerospace.com Aircraft Interiors/Passenger Terminal Expo 2001 27 February-1 March Cannes, France Tel+44 (1306) 743 744 Fax+44(1306)742 525 E-mail expo@ukintpress.com Website www.ukintpress.com/air Space Policy & Architecture Symposium 28 February-1 March Washington DC, USA Tel+1 (703)522 1820 Fax+1 (703)522 1885 6th Annual US Regional Airline Conference & Valuation Workshop 28 February-2 March Washington DC, USA Contact Caroll Everest, Commercial Aviation Events Tel+44(1892)515364 Fax +44(1892) 538 170 Network 2001 5-7 March Dallas, Fort Worth, USA Contact Sallie Edwards Tel+44 (20) 8652 8718 E-mail sallie.edwards@rbi.co.uk Policy Directions in UK Air Transport 14 March London Contact Helen Saunders Tel+44 (20) 75913007 Fax+44 (20) 7591 3059 E-mail events@rgs.org Air Cargo Conference & Exhibition 17-20 March Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Contact Melania Mason, ACI Tel+41 (22) 717 8753 Fax+41(22)717 8888 E-mail mmason@airports.org Website www.airports.org IDEX2001 18-22 March Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Contact General Exhibitions Tel+971(2)4446900 Fax+971 (2)4446135 Flight International's "Beneath the skin " exhibition is on at La Muse'e de I'air et I'espace, Aeroport de Paris, Le Bourget BP173,93352 Le Bourget, Cdx, France. For further information contact: Tel+44 (20) 8205 2266 Fax+44 (20) 8205 7617 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 February 2001 67
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