Kuwait: A report on the emergency landing and evacuation of a Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) plane a few weeks ago found the pilot responsible for the incident, reported Al-Rai. The report found that the pilot reacted improperly when a smoke detector in the cabin was triggered. Related: Kuwait Airways plane to Dhaka returns after appearance of smoke
The KAC aircraft, on its way to Dhaka, Bangaladesh earlier this month made an emergency landing a few minutes after taking off when a smoke detector in the cabin was triggered. The report added that during the evacuation of the flight’s 260 passengers, several injuries occurred as a result of the chaotic manner with which the procedure was handled.
The Kuwait Airways Corporation indicated that the alarm was false and that Captain Nayef Al-Mutalaqim failed to triple check the alarm as he was trained and decided to unnecessarily land the plane. The report indicated that the proper response to the situation would have been to land the plane normally and to request that ambulances be deployed to the scene. The report also quotes witnesses indicating that the captain nervously demanded that passengers evacuate the plane immediately, which further caused panic.
The report explains that the plane’s engine would have burst into flames within forty minutes had an electric short circuit taken place, as the pilot claimed. The KAC, meanwhile, filed a case of noncooperation with the Directorate General for Civil Aviation against Al-Mutalaqim, accusing him of disobeying orders.
The same plane had a second emergency landing just a week later at the Kuwait International Airport after detecting high air pressure inside the cockpit, reported Al-Watan. No injuries were reported in the incident.
A news report published recently indicated that the same plane suffered a third incident on its way back from Dhaka but that the situation was handled successfully by its captain, Jassem Al-Anjari. The report indicated that the pilot contacted the airport’s control tower when a malfunction occurred in the steering wheel’s hydraulic system while it was landing but that the pilot was able to steer the plane manually. An examination of the plane revealed that the hydraulic system was still functioning but that the problem occurred because the steering wheel temporarily jammed.
Kuwaittimes
Emergency landing: Kuwait Airways pilot failed to follow instructions | Q8NRI.com