Report also faults airport ILS and possible aircraft instrument errors for accident
The flightcrew's loss of situational awareness during a go-around was partly to blame for the 2002 controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) crash of a BAe 748 in which former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje was killed.
The AirQuarius Air Charter BAe 748 Series 2A crashed on 1 June 2002 killing both pilots and Cronje - who was the sole passenger on board - while attempting to land at George airport in South Africa after a cargo flight from Bloemfontein. According to the accident report produced by the South African Civil Aviation Authority, other factors include possible faults with the instrument landing system at George airport and possible aircraft instrument faults.
Inbound at first light to George in windy, rainy weather, the aircraft used the standard let-down procedure to join the ILS for runway 29, which is aligned with a valley that has mountains to the north. The airport air traffic control service was unmanned at the time. During the ILS approach the captain commented that they were too high, and both the pilot flying - the co-pilot - and the captain reported red flags on their horizontal situation indicators, which normally indicates a poor signal.
The captain ordered a go-around, and during the procedure the co-pilot, who had low total hours and also few hours on type, made a steep turn left beyond the correct heading to take the aircraft back overhead of the aerodrome. The captain warned the co-pilot of this and gave him a heading to roll out on, but a strong wind from the south west caused the aircraft to drift north of track toward high ground, where it crashed 14km (8km) north east of the airport.
The CAA has recommended that both ILS installations at George are replaced and that ATC there should have radar.
DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON
Source: Flight International
