Pilot typos behind string of take-off mishaps

[john roe]

Pilot typos behind string of take-off mishaps

 

• By Kate Schneider
   
   
  
• From: news.com.au
   
   
  
• January 25, 2011 8:02PM
   
   
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven air crew were killed in 2004 when their MK Airlines Boeing 747 cargo jet suffered a tail-strike. Picture: ATSB

 

• Crew, pilot errors behind many accidents
   
   
  
• Simple data calculations and errors common
   
   
  
• Can lead to tail-strikes or even crashes
   
   
  

 

 

AIRLINE crew errors are a leading cause of take-off accidents and incidents, according to air safety investigators.

 

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report said mistakes made by pilots and crew worldwide have lead to near-misses and even death.

 

The safety regulators analysed 20 international and 11 Australian take-off accidents and incidents between 1989 and June 2009 involving incorrect flight data.

 

It found that the most common contributing safety factor was crew error (39 per cent), leading to a range of consequences, including one incident in Melbourne where a plane suffered substantial damage from a tail-strike.

 

“There have been numerous take-off accidents worldwide that were the result of a simple data calculation or entry error by the flight crew,” the ATSB report stated.

 

Dec 2010

 

In Australian the most common mistakes involved pilots and crew entering the wrong takeoff speed, followed by the incorrect aircraft weight and wrong temperature.

 

The result of these errors ranged from a noticeable reduction in the aircraft's performance during take-off, to the aircraft being destroyed and loss of life.

 

In one case a pilot from an overseas airline entered a figure 100,000 kilograms below the aircraft's actual weight, leading to a tail strike at Melbourne Airport in 2009.

 

Meanwhile, seven air crew were killed in 2004 when their MK Airlines Boeing 747 cargo jet departing from Halifax, Canada, struggled to get airborne and hit a runway embankment.

 

The plane's take-off weight was entered as approximately 240,000kg instead of its real weight of approximately 354,000kgs.

 

Investigators also cited a Texas study of 4800 flights that found a quarter of pilots' errors were made before takeoff.

 

Pilot and ground crew error, time pressure, fatigue, distraction, poor system design, bad procedures, a lack of reference material and poor training were cited as key factors leading to these types of mistakes.

 

The report emphasised how critical the take-off phase of a flight is, with statistics between 2000 and 2009 showing that 12 per cent of fatal accidents occurred during take-off.

 

This is despite the take-off phase accounting for approximately just one per cent of the total flight time.

 

“Despite advanced aircraft systems and robust operating procedures, accidents continue to occur during the take-off phase of flight,” the report said.

 

“The takeoff is recognised as one of the most, if not the most, critical stage of flight, as there is limited time and options available to the flight crew for managing abnormal situation such as insufficient airspeed.”

 

The ATSB says that while these incidents will keep occurring due to human nature, airlines need to take action wherever possible to avoid mistakes.