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Old 2nd Feb 2007, 13:57
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FlyByHeart
 
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A more readable version

Adam Air jet subject of pilot complaints before crash
By Don Phillips
Published: January 30, 2007
Pilots complained repeatedly about problems with an Adam Air Boeing 737- 400 in the weeks before it crashed into the sea off Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, on Jan. 1, according to several investigators involved in the crash probe.
Two of the dozens of complaints were about the plane's weather radar, an item of particular concern since investigators have determined that the plane flew straight into a violent storm before it went down with 102 passengers and crew. Normally pilots would make almost any possible maneuver to avoid flying into the heart of a thunderstorm.In the latest news from the sarch, signals from plane's emergency locator beacon were detected from a location about 1,700 meters — roughly one mile — below the surface of the ocean. Indonesia has said that it had no equipment capable of reaching such a depth and asked for international help.Several officials and investigators connected with the crash investigation, who asked not to be identified because they are not designated as official spokesmen, said they were troubled by the large number of pilot complaints about malfunctioning instruments in the cockpit of the 17-year-old plane.By far the largest number of complaints concerned instruments that would tell one of the two crew members whether the plane was going up or down, and whether the plane was maintaining its course. So many complaints, called write-ups, were received from so many pilots that investigators have begun to ask whether any effort was made to repair the problems.
The vertical-speed indicator on the left side of the cockpit, the captain's side, collected by far the greatest number of complaints — 48 — in the three months before the crash, the investigators said. The vertical-speed indicator tells how fast the plane is climbing or descending.
Pilots complained 30 times about anomalies in the plane's left-right inertial reference system, which helps tell which direction the plane is turning. Problems with a fuel differential light drew 15 complaints. There were numerous complaints about inoperative cockpit instrument lights.There were several pilot write-ups about wing flaps that stayed stuck at an angle of 25 degrees. Flaps, located along the trailing edge of each wing, extend downward at various angles to help a plane slow for approach and landing. A plane would be in no danger, assuming the flaps stuck on landing. A 25-degree angle would almost never be used on takeoff, but stuck flaps at any angle on takeoff would likely force a plane to return to the airport.Investigators are intrigued by two complaints that the plane's weather radar was unreliable. However, until the plane is recovered from the ocean floor, there is little they can do to determine whether the weather radar had any role in the crash.On Tuesday, a spokesman for the airline could not be reached to respond to these specific complaints. The company said earlier it maintained and operated its planes according to the guidelines of Indonesian regulators and the manufacturer.
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