It seems the real issue here is compliance or non-compliance with ATC instructions.
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Near-crashes: FG suspends 2 pilots, orders re-training for pilots
2005-06-13 09:08:06
By Wale HAASTRUP
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Following two near-crashes, which could have claimed over 250 lives at the Lagos and Jos airports yesterday and Saturday, the two pilots who flew the affected planes have been suspended from flight operations by the Federal Government.
The pilots (names withheld) who are in the employ of Chanchangi and EAS airlines overshot the runway by 100 metres and 40 metres respectively.
Speaking to aviation correspondents yesterday in Lagos, the Minister of Aviation, Isa Yuguda said, "We will not allow the safety of our air travelers to be jeopardized. The pilots were advised by air traffic controllers not to land but went ahead and they overshot the runway".
The minister added that following the preliminary investigations conducted by the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB), Aviation ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the two pilots disregarded air traffic controllers' advice.
He further disclosed that the investigation showed that there was heavy rain when the two incidences occurred, which caused the runways to be flooded.
According to him, when the pilots filed there flight plans they would have chosen alternate airports to land if there is a cause that would not allow them to land at their destination.
Yuguda who directed that the pilots suspended for three months, also directed them to proceed immediately to recurrent training, ordering that all airlines must send all their pilots to such training.
The Director General of the NCAA Fidelis Onyeyiri was mandated to supervise and ensure compliance of the orders given by the Minister. EAS Airlines planes that departed from Lagos heading for Jos on Saturday overshot the runway at the Jos Airport by 40 metres.
The aircraft was reported to have hovered for about two and half hours before the pilot decided to land on the water-logged runway.
Eyewitness account showed that one of the tyres and wing were completely damaged, while part of its fuselage was also buried in the mud. One of the passengers that spoke with BUSINESS DAY stated that they were advised in Lagos before take off that the weather in Jos was bad.
He, however. stated that the pilot attempted to land at Kaduna and Minna Airports but was not able to do so.
In the case of the Chanchangi Airline plane, the flight was coming from Kaduna to Lagos at about 9.30 am.
The aircraft, a Boeing 727, skidded off the runway and overshot the runway by 100 metres.
Aboard the aircraft were 129 passengers, including Muhammed Tukur, the airline's public relations manager.
Source: BusinessDay
www.businessdayonline.com