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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 2667.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT SAFETY PAUL PHELAN / CAIRNS ILS trap 'may have caused' Korean Air 767 to crash into Guam hillside ANZ investigators warn of the danger of trusting ILS signals without checking raw height/distance data A false instrument landing system (ILS) glideslope indication may have been a major contributory factor to the disastrous Korean Air Boeing 747-300 accident at Guam in August 1997. According to recent studies by Air New Zealand (ANZ), the problem may have led the crew to believe that they were on the correct descent when the aircraft crashed into Nimitz Hill 5km (3nm) from touchdown. ANZ believes that 40 other con trolled flight into terrain (CFIT) investigations now warrant review in the light of the new findings. The airline was led to investigate the false ILS signal phenomenon when a 767 crew approaching Apia, Western Samoa, became sus picious because range and height readouts did not indicate that the aircraft was on glideslope but their instruments did. They abandoned the approach and carried out a sec ond one using ILS localiser and dis tance measuring equipment (DME) readings only (Flight International, 7-13 November, 2000). Since then, ANZ group vice- president operations Capt Trevor Jensen has led studies of other similar incidents, and has called for all operators to be made aware of the dangers. Jensen studied the US National Transportation Safety Board report on the Guam case and believes that it should be reviewed because the NTSB did not investigate the sup posedly inoperative ILS glideslope. The Korean crew was aware that the ILS glideslope was published as inoperative and had mentioned this in their top of descent briefing. Discussions on the cockpit voice recorder, however, indicate that the crew were confused because their flight instruments were showing the aircraft on the glideslope, yet there were no warning flags on the flight director. This, Jensen points out, can happen when the ILS glideslope or localiser is turned off. At Apia, the maintenance staff had erroneously left the system in a test mode, which sent out a carrier signal but no displacement infor mation. The result was that the crew were given flight director indi- DISPUTE Virgin Blue sees red over Qantas' Impulse move Australian budget carrier Virgin Blue is to legally challenge the Australian Consumer Competition Commission's (ACCC) decision that allows Qantas to acquire Impulse Airlines' routes. Virgin claims Qantas misled the ACCC over slot and competition issues. Under the integration, Impulse's wet leased Boeing 717s, now in Qantas Link livery, have been moved from trunk routes onto Queensland holiday routes previously serviced by Qantas Boeing 737s. RESTRUCTURE ISOR SALINGER / BELGRADE Belgrade casts net for new JAT chief The Serbian Government has started a search for a new chief executive for state-owned JAT Yugoslav Airlines. JAT president Miroslav Stefan- ovic told tte Belgrade newspaper Vecernje Novotfi that the interna tional recruitment effort will enable the most highly qualified candidate to be recruited. Hitting out at the present man agement, Stefanovic is quoted in the media as saying: "Unfortun ately, the team that is temporarily managing JAT has no clear idea how to do it into the future". Stefanovic alleged that "crime and corruption" continued within JAT and "financial inspectors are already undertaking an internal investigation." He said losses last year amounted to $17 million. Acting chief executive Dusan Kostic denies the accusations, say ing that although current state of JAT is not ideal, the airline made a $30 million profit in hard currency last year. The 944 million Yugoslav Dinars loss was due to a massive drop in exchange rates. cations which showed the aircraft on glideslope and centreline no matter where the aircraft really was, provided it was within a broad arc 40° either side of the localiser. If the localiser is working properly the crew receive the correct beacon identification, and there are no warning flags as there would be if the ILS was transmitting erroneous or weak displacement information. ANZ has now adopted a stan dard operating procedure for all ILS approaches. This requires the crew to check gradual capture of the ILS localiser and glideslope as they intercept them, and to reject the system if it gives sudden indica tions that the aircraft is on centre line and glideslope. MARKETPLACE • Dutch operating lease com pany International Equipment Management (IEM) has con cluded a sale and lease-back deal involving three new Airbus A320s, which have just been delivered to TACA International Airlines. • Singapore Airlines has firmed up its earlier commit ment for up to 25 Rolls-Royce Trent-powered Airbus A380s, including 10 firm orders and 15 options. Deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 2006. • Frontier Airlines has exer cised options on two Airbus A319s and accelerated deliver ies from the second half of 2004 to May and June 2002. The Denver, Colorado-based airline has also advanced the return of a leased Boeing 737-700 from April 2002 to September this year. Frontier now has firm orders for 14 Airbus aircraft plus options on another 15. • Air Tahiti Nui is to acquire a second Airbus A340-200 on lease, to allow it to begin three weekly flights from Papeete to Paris. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24 30 JULY 2001 11
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