Crack 'caused overloaded plane crash'
January 20 2000 at 11:07PM
A tiny break in an exhaust pipe of an overloaded plane is believed to
have ultimately led to the engine power loss which caused last months'
horror air crash in which 10 people died.
This was exacerbated by dirt in a fuel nozzle further reducing power
when it left one of six cylinders not working properly.
As a result, the aircraft did not have enough power to gain height, and
crashed two minutes after take off.
Flightline, the charter company which ran the aeroplane, faces the
possibility of legal action based on the findings of an eight-man
investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority, which included Australian
expert Brent Hayward.
The investigation team found that:
The aeroplane, which was certified to carry 3 182kg, was carrying at
least 357kg over the prescribed weight.
Flightline's Aircraft Operating Certificate had expired on November 29 - a
week before the fatal crash.
"Considerable deficiencies" were identified in the operator's
documentation, an integral part of safety management.
Several discrepancies were detected in the Civil Aviation Authority's
records.
Several "anomalies" were identified in the authority's role as a
regulatory body.
On Thursday, as the report was being released to the media, a follow-up
inspection was taking place at the company's Rand Airport facility.
Flightline manager Declan McEneaney declined to comment on the matter,
describing as "senseless" the release of findings to the media before the
company had been given a chance to peruse the document.
"Nobody in this company has seen or heard the contents of the report,"
he said.
Also unwilling to comment was Documentation and Training International.
Spokesperson Amanda Jordaan said: "We'll probably have to meet with
our lawyers before we come to a decision."
According to investigation head Dr Andre de Kock, the accident occurred
as result of one of the plane's engines losing power when a tiny piece
broke off an exhaust manifold - a crucial part of the engine.
But the aircraft could have continued flying and landed safely on one
engine, had it not been overloaded.
Detailed investigations undertaken by the team included recovering all
the baggage which could be found at the scene of the crash and
weighing it on a calibrated scale at the South African Bureau of Standards
.
Civil Aviation Commissioner Trevor Abrahams said the aircraft should have
been able to fly on one engine, and that a substantial part of pilot
training involved dealing with crises as result of engine failure.
"If other factors are introduced, such as overloading, your chances of
surviving an engine failure become minimised significantly," he said.
The Civil Aviation Authority has stressed that its investigations were
intended to "establish probable cause, not apportion blame" or legal
liability.
Of the four air disasters which occurred in the week of the Piper Chieftain
crash - described as the worst week in South African aviation history in a
decade - two have been attributed to bad weather and the cause of the
fourth remains unknown.
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