Hmm, I was under the impression that the DFDR was already sent to Canada....Apparently, not.
GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN Alfred Mutua has brought home to us the politics of aircraft accident investigations. Apparently, there had been a bit of a tussle between Kenyan and Cameroon authorities over the custody of the 'Black Box' recovered from the wreckage of the Kenya Airways crash.
Dr Mutua informed us that Kenya preferred that the Black Box be handed over to Canadian Authorities.
And he went to tell us in great detail why. Canada, he said, was a neutral country, unlike Kenya and Cameroon who were both interested parties.
Another alternative, the United States, could also not be considered neutral because it was the home of Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer.
And none of the European countries could be considered neutral either because Europe is the home of Airbus, the main rival of Boeing.
So what is all this talk about neutrality and interested parties and whatnot and yet we are talking abut a fatal plane crash, not ODM-Narc politics?
Dr Mutua did not have to explain all that, but the answer should be obvious.
Cameroon is not a neutral party to the investigation because the crash occurred on its land shortly after the plane left Douala Airport.
Therefore, it must be presumed that the Cameroon authorities might be keen to demonstrate that the crash was no fault of theirs, that it cannot be pinned down to erroneous clearance for take-off in inclement weather, or faulty instrumentation to guide such decisions.
Then we come to Kenya, or Kenya Airways, to be precise. It was their plane that went down. The reputation, and business prospects, of an airline rests on all those things they advertise: Flatter beds, more leg room, friendlier service, superior smiles, on-time arrivals and departures, less unpalatable food, route networks and so on.
And, preferably left unsaid lest customers be reminded about the hazards of flying, the safety record.
The Abidjan disaster of six years ago was seen as an aberration; it happened to one of the safest and best airlines in Africa. Another major crash so soon afterwards is a veritable disaster for KQ's safety record. The last thing the national carrier would want is to be shown at fault for the Douala crash.
Then we come to Boeing. Aircraft salesmen may not be as ubiquitous in every street corner as used-car dealers. But in their rarefied world, they are just as pushy and aggressive.
The duel for global dominance between Boeing of the United States and European Airbus consortium gets as low down and dirty as can be.
If KQ 507 went down because of a manufacturer's defect or a basic flaw in the model, it will be like a punch in the solar plexus for Boeing. That will mean plenty of lost business.
So both are interested parties, and neither they, nor the authorities in their regions of domicile, can be entrusted with the all-important Black Box.
THE WORLD HAS CERTAINLY SUNK low if the investigation of a major plane accident is to be held hostage to political and commercial considerations.
If Dr Mutua's revelation is to be taken to its logical conclusion, then not even Canada is completely neutral. After all, the land of the maple leaf is joined by an umbilical cord to the US. It is also a member of the US-led Nato alliance.
At the same time, however, it is not just, like us, a mere member of the British Commonwealth, but it is still a British dominion. And the country also has a large population which looks to France rather than Britain.
Well, at least both Boeing and Airbus can trust Canada. But who shall we trust to tell us the unvarnished truth?
more at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/2007051...html?viewall=1