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Airblue crash investigation: Captain’s son to challenge govt report
Iqbal believes the govt is hiding facts to save air traffic control, aircraft manufacturer.
Iqbal believes the govt is hiding facts to save air traffic control, aircraft manufacturer. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD: The government inquiry into last year’s Airblue plane crash put part of the blame on the captain of the flight Captain Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry. His son has now decided to contest the report to clear his father’s name.
“My father was an extraordinary pilot,” said Tahir Pervez Iqbal while talking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday. He said he would challenge it in Peshawar High Court (PHC) on the next date of hearing (January 19).
The government has released the investigation report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.
“The captain’s behavior towards the first officer (FO) was harsh, snobbish and contrary to the established norms. This undesired activity of the captain curbed the initiative of the FO, created a tense and undesirable environment, and a very conspicuous communication barrier in the cockpit, portraying a classic crew resource management (CRM) failure. FO did not challenge the captain for his incorrect actions,” the report said.
The report is self-contradictory, said Iqbal, who is a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holder but associated with the pharmaceutical industry in Lahore at present.
“If my father’s behaviour towards the first officer was snobbish, why did he ask him why the aircraft was not turning left?” said Tahir, adding the government was concealing the facts surrounding the incident to save air traffic control and the manufacturer of the aircraft.
Contrary to the claim in the investigation report that it was impossible to carry out a detailed autopsy or post-mortem examination on the captain’s body due to its severely charred condition, Iqbal said he had given his blood sample for DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) testing for the identification of his father’s body but he never received the DNA report.
“My father no longer remains in this world to defend himself which is why he has been held responsible for this crash” said Iqbal.
Junaid Hamid, convener of the Airblue Crash Affectees Group (ACAG), and Col (retd) Shamim Sheikh who lost his son in the crash, appreciated Iqbal’s decision of challenging the report in court.
Reacting over the report, Col (retd) Shamim said, the government has simply said in its report that captain’s behavior was snobbish but has not revealed why he was snobbish towards the first officer. Shamim went on to add that the report did not conform to expected investigation standards, saying that 38 pages for a aircraft crash investigation report was unusually short and more like a summary of the incident submitted to appease the court due to delays on their part.
Hamid on the other hand said that ACAG’s legal team was carefully reading the investigation report which is full of loopholes and will certainly present their viewpoint to the court on the next date of hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2011.
Reader Comments (18)
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I suggest captain family should file a case against the govt. I can bet if proper investigation is done, govt would lose the case.Recommend
Govt reports are always fake
no one believes
Fake reports and lies
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The report is an attempt to hide the REAL facts – it is a smokescreen. The airline, pilots, military and most importantly, the government know EXACTLY what happened but cannot and will not disclose details as it is a matter of ‘national security’.
The pilot, instead of being hailed as a hero, is being painted as the villain and frankly, it is disgusting and pathetic. All I will say is that the real facts will be ascertained in a few years and believe me, NO ONE will be able to digest them. Let’s pray together for the souls of the departed and their journey to the hereafter.
May Almighty Allah be Pakistan’s Protector and Helper, Elahi Ameen.
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It is clear from the report, despite its brevity and other limitations, that the captain of the aircraft had somehow “lost it”. What the captain did not know but his co-pilot did was that they were headed towards their doom unless action was taken promptly and forcefully. He repeated his concerns many times. The captain did not respond. He kept heading towards the Margalla hills, turning the wrong way in the end.
The report makes clear there was nothing wrong with the aircraft and all systems were working perfectly.
Yes, ATC should have coordinated better with radar which could see him while ATC in the tower could not. But they misinformed ATC when they said they were “visual downwind” when they were actually in clouds and far from where they should have been in terms of direction, distance and height.
ATC, the weather, the ill-feelings and hurt pride in the cockpit etc are contributory factors in this accident. They did not cause it.
It must be very painful for the captain’s children to read this report. They are welcome to appeal it but I don‘t see that the reports verdict will be over-turned. There is too much information from the cockpit voice recorder to suggest otherwise. They can ask to see the full transcript but that is about all.Recommend
@Alamzeb:
Sir,
have you read the report? Do you understand it? Do you know something about flying and commercial aviation and are familiar with the jargon used?
If so, why are you so angry and dismissive?
It may not be the best in the world but it the first that has been published in Pakistan in 64 years, thanks to the courts and the media.
It’s contents are rather scary.
How can the pilot be hailed a “hero”? What was heroic in his actions since he, alongwith his co-pilot, took all those poor souls on board to their death?
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Govt report is based on black-box recordings. Captain’s son is acting on ghairat not on facts.Recommend
The black boxes were decoded by the French BEA under supervision. They and the US NTSB, probably the best in the world, were accredited representatives in the investigation. I would have been useful to read their comments which are normally appended to a report of this kind.
If an appeal of some kind is to be launched, they should ask for two things:
one, a full read-out of BOTH black boxes from begining to end must be appended to the report; as well as the complete tapes of ATC. It is not enough to simply quote from the tapes here and there;
and, two, include comments of the BEA and NTSB in another appendix to the report.
This report is already being disussed in some of the most well-known and respected aviation forums around the world which include as participants pilots and engineers as well as former air accident investigators. These people are not stupid. No one is talking of a cover-up of any kind. These people have read too many black boxes in their lives to be able to tell, with great authority, what was going on and they have generally expressed dismay at the unprofessional actions of the cockpit crew. Some of them are astounded.
This is not a bias against Pakistani’s at all. Some of the black boxes from crashes in the west are equally astonishing. They make your hair go white.
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@Meekal Ahmed:
Yes Sir. I belonged to the aviation industry, albeit a short time in the 80′s with Cathay Pacific – but that is secondary and is besides the point here. The prerequisite for being an ardent follower of the truth does not require one to be an aviation expert !
Sir, with all due respect, I just happen to know that FACTS are being kept from the public deliberately. Awaam ko bewakuf banaya ja raha hai but there are reasons why this cannot be disclosed. Mohtarem Meekal Sahb, ap aur ap jaisi raaeye rakne waley log thore se nadaan aur ‘naive’ hain – mere barre bhai, please don’t take this personally.
When I remarked that the Captain is a ‘hero’, I was spot on. Wait for a few years and then you will see my stance vindicated. I won’t go into details. All I will say is that by the will of Almighty Allah, even a BIGGER catastrophe was averted. All the best.
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@Meekal Ahmed:
It took between 2-3 hours for rescue teams and other help to get to the crash. When they reached the site, they found that some ‘other’ people were already there before them – who were they, what were they doing and what right did they have to be there ? NO conspiracy theories Sir, I don’t prescribe to that. Meekal Sahb you have been blogging on this subject for 18 months but even you have not been able to reach a conclusion, which means something is not right.
Sir, ‘pilot error’ is a lame excuse and it just ALWAYS happens to be the easiest and most convenient thing to say after tragic incidents like this. I don’t buy it one bit.
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Totally Agree Meekal on this one. I had a detailed discussion with an Air Disaster Investigation expert (he was not working on this one but followed it closely as a professional). He confirms findings of this report and places biggest blamed on the arrogance of the Captain.
Our culture of Senior Junior difference and general arrogance of seniors is a cause of lots of evils. Here are two interesting examples which I think many of the readers can relate to at some level.
This person I am talking about was a pilot trainer himself in the past. Co pilots or trainees are expected to call out any mistakes from their senior because in an aircraft there are rarely any second chances to make things right. Once he got disoriented while flying in our north and lost sense of direction (on our old training planes without proper navigation tools), and asked his trainee twice to confirm if they were going in right direction, his trainee said “Yes Sir” both times, but he had feeling they were not going right. They eventually recovered and avoided a mountain crash. His trainee later told him that he knew they were wrong but thought it is disrespectful to tell your superior that you are wrong so he said yes both times he was asked.
Recently saw a documentary on Chinese company developing an electric car with help of engineering department of a university there. Their instructor there was interviewed and he said that their culture (same as our in this respect) of overly respecting teacher or a senior is biggest hindrance in their development since some smart students who may have a better idea and can give better input, choose not to contradict their instructor or tell them that they have a better idea than theirs.
Not suggesting any disrespect to seniors, but telling them when they are wrong is a favor to them and yourself. For all those seniors out there, “command respect” instead of demanding respect, especially by raising your voice or by showing arrogance.Recommend
That is what you learn in CRM training. You work as a team and it is emphasised that should the junior person in the cockpit see the Captain doing something dangerous, he needs to point it out.
This fellow did. He kept repeating it. “Sir,pull up, Sir”. Then “Sir, terrain is coming”. “Sir, turn left, Sir”. “We need to turn back”.
TWENTY-ONE times the EGPWS called out, loud and clear, “Terrain Ahead” and repeated that and when there was no response it goes to the next mode “Terrain, Terrain, “PULL UP, PULL UP” which was repeated constantly until impact.
In all there was a 70 second warning to the crew as per the design.
The problem was (and this is why some people say the co-pilot was just as culpable), is that even sensing danger, he did nothing.
CRM must surely teach you that if you get no responsse you must assume the captain is INCAPACITATED (it can be very subtle with NO outward signs and his eyes can be wide open). You need to immediately take over and get the aircraft out of a dangerous situation.
If you apply your CRM training, there is no big guy or small guy in the cockpit.
Alamzeb,
My heart goes out to you. For the first time in 64 years, thanks to the courts and the media, we got the CAA to cough up a report.
You should be rejoicing.
The report, while not expertly put together, brings out what we (including I and one retired PAF offier here) that was the cause of the crash.
No, pilot error is not some cop-out. But it is the major factor in some 70% of air accidents all over the world.
In cases when you fly a perfectly airworthy plane with all systems working into a hill, it is almost 100% pilot error.
But rather than accept the evidence before you, instead you are telling me about mysterious happenings AFTER the plane has smashed into the Margalla’s at over 200 knots killing everyone.
First it was mystery before the plane crashed, now it is mystery and intrigue AFTER the plane crashed.
You are obviously a very difficult man to please.
Sure I will wait for your promised bomb-shell sometime in the future. I hope it will be before I have left to meet my Maker.
And, please skip the Urdu. I don’t speak it very well so if you were being disrespectful, consider yourself forgiven since I did not understand what you said.
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I know the Captain who landed it safely a day earlier from Islo to Khi. Accordingly to his comments this was the best air craft in Air Blue’s Fleet. In addition, communication b/w Captain and FO in the Cockpit Voice Recorder is enough to understand the situation.
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@Alamzeb:
Of course I have reached a conclusion after reading the report! I had reached that conclusion before reading it but I wanted to be proved right or wrong.
Who were these people who got there so quickly?
Ghosts? CIA, FIA, RAW, MOSSAD, ISI? The US Embassy?
The rescue people could not reach the site. The helicopter could not land.
Have you seen the impact point? I have.
Please go up Daman-e-Koh and take a look.
But whetver ghosts got there first, it has NOTHING to do with the cause of the accident.
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@Atif Ghouri:
The Airbus 319/320/321, the Airbus 330, the Airbus 340, the massive Airbus 380 and the soon to come Airbus 350 XWB are the most sophisticated aircraft in the sky.
Some say so sophisticated that pilot don’t know how to fly them when the auto-pilot is disconnceted or is disconnected by design — as seems to have happened here as well.
He climbs and then he DESCENDS into the Margalla hills. He also banks (turns) 54 degrees when he should not exceed more than 30-35 degrees in bank because he will get another warning “Bank Angle, Bank Angle”.
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@MK:
Spot on MK. These ustaads with their military background display a type of arrogance that is not encouraging when it comes to civilian airliner flight safety. We have to rid Pakistan of this attitude. The juniors are captains in the making that will learn only by example. Unfortunately the ex-military seniors only know how to talk with extreme rudeness and often address trainees like they are new cadets in a military camp.
I have experience flying in Turkey (very similar to Pakistani culture when it comes to respect of ex-military captains) and also the UK. In Turkey, unfortunately the seniors are only “experienced” in arrogance and not necessarily flight rules (by no means the majority). In the UK, despite the age and experience gap we are treated as professional colleagues and respected. In the UK many airlines have clear policies for the co-pilot to assume control from the captain if they think he is not doing the right thing (lives are at stake after all). Simply, you tell them 3 times what mistake they have made and if they do not provide a valid reason for flaunting the regulations (in this case losing sight of the runway on the circle to land procedure), you take over. Try that in Pakistan or Turkey, you’d lose your job and probably not be employable ever again.
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Agreed.
But I don’t think the Captain in this case was ex-military except given his haughty and dismissive attitude towards his co-pilot, he was behaving like he was.
The co-pilot we are told was an F-16 fighter pilot in the PAF. He seemed to be the only one who sensed the danger ahead.
The captain did not even know how to turn the plane to the LEFT!
Interesting comments about Turkey and the UK. I guess you could say the UK is a country with long traditions which people respect. Imagine, it does not even have a constitution!
That respect is carried over to this field as well.Recommend
…………..Airplanes dont crash because the pilot was being a snob……clearly they need more competent people. What are they hiding? Why are they being so damned difficult about an investigation that could save thousands of lives in the future?Recommend
This has nothing to do with the pilot being a snob or not. Please read the report carefully which explains the complete disregard for well-established procedures for the approach to runway 12. .
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