TURKISH AIRLINES ACCIDENT DUE TO LACK OF COORDINATION

KEDAR DAHAL

KATHMANDU, June 22

Investigation has blamed the accident of Turkish Airlines plane in March on lack of coordination among the Meteorological Forecasting Division, air traffic controller (ATC) and pilots.

The probe committee has prepared preliminary report stating that the plane skidded off the runway while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on March 4 due to lack of coordination among the three parties. The Airbus A330-303 had obstructed the runway and had stopped international flights for four days as it could not be removed in time.

The division had not informed anyone about reduced visibility, according to the preliminary report of the probe committee. The report says the approach control and ATC did not inform the pilots even though there was sudden problem in visibility owing to moving fog. “It is a matter of serious concern that the Meteorological Forecasting Division did not function for one month at the only international airport of the country,” a member of the probe committee said. The report, however, has not been submitted to the government.

The report points that the ATCs worked in stress in lack of refresher training and the correct information could not come as a result. It mentions that the first ATC officer had told pilots that visibility can improve when the plane was 447 feet above the ground level at 7:43’ 26”. It has been revealed that equipment of the Meteorological Forecasting Division inside the TIA Office was damaged throughout March. “No coordination could be seen between the division and ATC,” the report adds.

The report says the flight crew also did not comply with the standard operating procedure of the company. “The flight crew has been found to have landed forcibly violating the company standard that prohibits landing of plane in poor visibility,” the report reads. The accident occurred, according to the report, also as the pilots were not familiar with the Required Navigation Performance-Authorization Required (RNP-AR) procedure. The pilots had ditched traditional RNV in favor of RNP due to difficulty in landing owing to poor visibility at the TIA. “We found that the first ATR officer had told the captain that the plane can direclty land on the runway by taking RNP approach. Decision height should be 340 feet during the first approach at runway. But it was taken only at 294 feet feet which is considered inadequate for the plane,” the report adds.

The ATC had aksed the flight crew if the runway could be seen from 880 feet above the ground level while the plane was preparing for second approach. “The plane was flying even as the flight crew said it could not see the runway. The crew had asked the ATC from 783 feet if approach lights were on or not. The ATC in response said the lights were on,” the report said.

There are five approach lights at the TIA. The ATC had said all five of them were lit brightly. The first ATC officer had told captain at 7:47’ 39” that there was no longer visibility of 1,000 meters. The co-pilot at 7:49’ 08” had said that they are following visibility and descending. The captain had been telling at 7:50’ 09” that it would be better to return without landing up to four times. The pilots could not think anything due to very poor visibility.

The plane did land but skidded off the Runway 2 into the parallel taxi-way. The report states that there was no technical problem in the plane when it took off from Istanbul. A member of the probe committee said the report does not include wrong information as both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the plane were in good condition.

There was no human casualty during the accident but the landing gear in front of the plane was completely damaged. The government had formed a four-member committee under former secretary Nagendra Prasad Ghimire to investigate the accident.