Halifax MK747F Bottom Lines
Built in Software Traps and Pilot Fatigue
Main features of the Halifax MK Airlines 747F Crash Report
In their report on the Boeing 747 crash at Halifax that killed seven people, investigators say a lack of crew training on new takeoff software, combined with fatigue from working long hours, were likely factors in the accident.
Last year, following the 14 Oct 2004 crash of the MK Airlines cargo jet at the Halifax airport, investigators at the Canadian Transportation Safety Board said the crash was caused by an improper setting of the throttles by a crew member.
As a result, the heavily laden cargo plane, weighing more than 350,000 kilograms, didn't have enough speed or power to make it off the runway.
The tail of the aircraft broke off after striking a berm at the end of the Halifax runway and the plane plunged into nearby woodlands, where it exploded into flames.
But further investigation has turned up problems beyond the throttle settings; specifically the crew's training on new cockpit software, said Bill Fowler, the board's lead investigator.
The software known as the Boeing Laptop Tool, or BLT, calculates the proper speed and thrust of the plane - based on information the crew inputs on weight, the length of the runway and the weather conditions.
Fowler said the software was set for the plane's weight at its previous takeoff in Hartford, Conn. - almost 110,000 kilograms lighter than the Halifax load.
After interviewing MK airline staff, the board concluded the training process on the software was incomplete.
"Did all of the training get done? We didn't feel it was adequate," said Fowler.
"The company undertook to implement this (software) package following guidance material. The question arose: did they do it adequately? In our view, not all of it was."
Fowler said the software could allow the crew to use the previous takeoff's weight data, if they were not familiar with program.
The investigator declined to elaborate further, saying the full analysis on the role training played will become public when the board's final report is published in several months.
When asked about the crew's training in an interview, Steve Anderson, a company spokesman, said the training was adequate.
"We've been using the program for many months prior to the accident. We'd never had any information of any problem from any of the air crew previously," he said from the company's headquarters in Hartfield, East Sussex.
Anderson also disagreed with the investigator's concerns about pilot fatique.
"They'd had sufficient rest at different stages of the journey. It's a simple as that. We don't believe it played a role in the accident."
At the time of the crash, the crew had been on duty for 19 hours. Had they completed their trip, Fowler says they would have been on duty for 30 hours.
In Canada, regulations allow a similar-sized crew a maximum duty period of 20 hours. In the United States and England, the maximum is 18 hours.
As the cargo plane was registered in Ghana, however, MK Airlines wasn't required to follow the North American or British standards.
Anderson said the airline has since increased staff training on the Boeing software and reduced the number of on-duty hours for crew.
Fowler said he can't be absolutely certain a lack of knowledge about the software was the main cause of the error that led to the crash, because the cockpit voice recording of the pilots' final conversations was destroyed by fire.
But he adds, "all of these factors come together, the level of awareness, the training and procedures . . . The best we can do is we can look at it and say these were the factors that were present at the time and we feel they would likely have contributed."
"The BLT and fatigue were significant elements in this."
Anderson said the airline is currently attempting to register its fleet of jumbo jets in the United Kingdom, rather than in Ghana.
"Part of the process of going through that is to have the Boeing laptop tool certified and approved by the U.K. aviation authorities, which has just been completed," said Anderson.
This Friday, the company plans a memorial service in the United Kingdom for the seven dead crew members.
A company official also plans to return to Halifax, where a small memorial will be held.
The dead Britons were Capt. Michael Thornycroft, a resident of South Africa; as well as Capt. David Lamb and flight engineers Pete Launder and Steve Hooper, all residents of Zimbabwe.
Also killed were ground engineer Mario Zahn, a German who lived in South Africa; and loadmaster Chris Strydom and first officer Gary Keough, both of Zimbabwe.