Glob99 wonders:
Originally Posted by glob99
I wonder if it is similar to this crash:
20 December 1995; American Airlines 757; near Buga, Colombia:
Not as far as I see yet. Let us go through some of the most significant factors.
First, the AA crew were given a change of approach, with which they were unfamiliar, and they were confused about ATC instructions (with the help of ATC saying "affirmative" to an incorrect readback).
Comparison: there is only one approach to Isparta, they would have had that plate out, and according to the tapes ATC was not involved in guiding the flight. According to what I take to be regs, I imagine the crew would have briefed that approach in pre-flight planning.
Second, the AA crew were trying to fly to an NDB which had an identical frequency and ID with another one within reception range, but at about a right angle to their intended route of flight, which is down a narrow valley in which the Cali airport is located, amongst 12,000 ft peaks. They put FREQ and ID into the FMS and the aircraft turned out of the valley.
Comparison: 1. The inquiry found a number of places in the world where this atrocious radio nav situation exists, and Isparta is not one of them. 2. The peaks aren't at multiple thousands of feet above the airport. The highest is about 3,000 ft above and is 7 nm off the final approach course.
Third, the Cali crew were rushed, and behind the airplane and nav.
Comparison: if that 18 minute gap is to be believed, the Isparta crew were not at all rushed.
Fourth, the court determined that the nav kit suppliers, Honeywell and Jeppesen, knew about the ambiguous-navaid situation and had not taken appropriate steps to mitigate it. They were held coresponsible for the event.
Comparison: as I said above, this is not one of those situations.
Fifth, the airplane impacted a peak while flying direct to the navaid (then called ROZO).
Comparison: the photos with both accident site and runway clearly show the aircraft dynamics aligned somewhat with the runway. The site has been identified as about 7 nm off the final approach course. The crew were not flying direct IPT.
Now obviously some other characteristics are similar. The aircraft was flying at night in good weather in a sparsely-lit region of what aviators designate as "mountainous terrain" and attempted an NPA; collided with terrain off-course. They also descended below MSA well away from the protected airspace of the final approach course. But in those respects it is similar to dozens of other accidents.
PBL