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Old 19th Apr 2004, 19:39
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Kalium Chloride
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: South East UK
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Bumz:

Firstly I think it's important to get facts right, especially with emotive issues such as this one.

The crash had nothing to do with fuel.

During the flight there was a false fire alarm for the left-hand engine. The fire-extinguisher was activated but the fire alarm continued.

The captain ordered that a second extinguisher (for the same engine) be activated as well. The first officer misunderstood, and instead activated the extinguisher for the right-hand engine.

Both engines lost power as a result of the double-extinguisher activation. The aircraft lost height and crashed short of the runway.

If you read the transcript, you find that there was a misunderstanding over the meaning of "pull the other one" - the captain meant the second left-hand firebottle, the first officer thought he meant the first right-hand firebottle.

While the faulty fire alarm was certainly an initiating problem, the investigation highlighted the crew's lack of co-ordination in dealing with the situation.

I present this only for factual reference - I have no comment on the fairness, or otherwise, of any legal proceedings currently in effect.
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