Hello Everybody,
This year to date has been the worst for passenger fatalities on airliners for many years.
The tragic Air India Express crash at Mangalore has brought the total number of deaths this year to 515. The ten-year average for the same period of the year is 266. That means that 2010 so far has seen almost double the number of deaths compared with the past ten years.
Why is this?
I am a retired pilot with 40 years flying experience. In my opinion this trend will continue, and might well get worse. The problem is the airlines’ quest for profits. Three of this year’s accidents happened to ‘Low Cost Carriers’ (LoCos.) They accounted for 353 deaths.
In the First one, Ethiopian Airlines, the pilot lost ‘situational awareness’ after taking off at night, became disorientated and failed to correct a turn. He actually increased the bank angle and the aircraft dived into the ground less than two minutes after take off. Very poor instrument flying skills. 90 deaths.
In the second one, Afriqiya Airlines (Libya) the pilot attempted to land at dawn, with the sun rising just above the end of the runway, so he could not see. He should not have descended below 300 feet above runway level without having the runway clearly in sight. He crashed 1,000 metres short of the touchdown zone, and 200 metres off to the right. 103 deaths.
In yesterday’s Air India Express crash, the Serbian captain landed too far down the runway to be able to stop the aircraft before it plunged down a 200+ foot drop just past the end of the runway. 160 deaths.
The LoCos are run by accountants, ‘Beancounters’ who have no knowledge of flying or engineering. The pilots are paid the lowest salaries and fly long hours with inadequate rest periods. A few years ago, no respectable airline would employ a co-pilot with on their jet aircraft less than 1,500 hours flying experience. The figure now is 200 hours!. Should the captain become incapacitated, this kid fresh out of flying school could have the lives of up to 350 passengers in his inexperienced hands.
My advice is simple. When booking tickets for yourself or your loved ones, choose reputation over cost. In Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Singapore, Kuwait Airways, Emirates and Etihad all have good, experienced crews and a fine safety record. Your lives are irreplaceable, don’t risk them to save a few dollars.
If you want to check the airlines, safety data and accident reports, go to:
http://aviation-safety.net/index.php
Choose well and fly safely.
Cheers,
Charlie
