Kenya Airways crash blamed on pilot error
The crash of a Kenya Airways Boeing 737-800 in Cameroon on 5th May 2007 was as a result of pilot error according to a report released today. The aircraft crashed as a when it entered a spiral descent killing all 114 on board.
The aircraft entered the spiral due to the pilot not realising the aircraft was already in a right hand banked turn when demanding further roll to the right. The accident occurred less than two minutes after take-off as the aircraft crashed nose first into a mangrove swamp. The wreckage was situated less than four miles from the runway, however it took rescue teams nearly 40 hours to reach it due to the inhospitable terrain.
The investigation into the accident was carried out by the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority with the assistance of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer.
The weather at the time of the incident included thunderstorms in the vicinity, however the report suggested that this did not likely cause the crash. The reports says the accident was a result of “spatial disorientation” of the pilot.
Other contributing factors highlighted in the report include the failure of the pilots to follow SOP’s, the poor situational awareness of the pilots and inappropriate reactions in the face of an abnormal situation.
The aircraft was drifting to the right after departure and when this was noticed by the 23 year-old First Officer incorrectly told the Captain, who was flying the aircraft, to turn right. He subsequently corrected himself saying “left, left, left” and turning the control column in the opposite direction to the Captain.
The Captain, 52, had disagreed with the First Officer prior to take off over use of the windscreen wipers. The junior member of the flight deck crew had wanted the windscreen wipers on but had been overruled by the Captain. The report speculates that this may have affected the relationship between the crew, which could have been a contributing factor as the First Officer failed to speak up about the flights problems before it was too late.
Kenya Airways Executives are expected to comment on the report’s findings in the coming days.
Source: BBC
