This is my quickie attempt.
After the crash of the Luxair Fokker, the mystery remains complete.
Need for Serenity
Human reaction -- always under shock. everybody is waiting to know and understand. However we must still remain patient. And avoid hasty conclusions.
Daniel Pol-Soum
Now that the investigators at BEA in Paris are reading the black boxes, serenity has not returned to the souls far from there. Whether at Luxair or the people below or potential customers, questions acculmulate and speculations florish.
Christian Heinzmann, director général of the company, wants the answers as quickly as possible, just for the morale of his troops (see interview). Besides, he has to confront certain criticisms of his décision to allow the other Fokkers to continue flying. However, it must be understood that such a décision is taken in consultation with the manufacturer. Now, Fokker has confirmed to Jeudi that there is no reason to ground the Fokkers.
Certain people underneath are taking advantage of the accident to reassert their demands to modify the approach corridors. A solution totally utopian because of the size of the country and the technical constraints in navigating approaches. For Raymond Weydert, mayor of Niederanven, it would be convenient to calm the polémic for the moment, «if only out of respect for the victims».
Is it, in this context, to calm people that the Parquet ?? has décidéd, since Friday, November 8, to publish a communiqué indicating a first élément of explanation for the accident: the simultanéous halt of the two motors? But this communiqué for the less hâsty, is strongly contrary to Fokker's experts in charge of the investigation.
«Difficult landing»
Besides, according to all the aviation professionals that we have contacted, it is highly improbable that the two motors shut down simultanéously, at least it has nothing to do with a voluntary action. Now, what reason would have led a pilot to carry out such an action?
One has besides affirméd that the position of the propellors démonstrate that the motors were stopped. However the blades of a stopped propellor get put into feather to avoid all résistance to the air. Now, the photos show blades in working position.
According to a source close to BEA, the pilot would have announcéd to the passengers «a difficult landing». But, according to Jean-Claude Wahl, vice-
président of the Guild of air contrôllers, working that morning of November 6th, at the last contact with the pilot, 30 seconds just before the crash, he didn't report anything abnormal.
Besides, the contrôllers themselves inquired among themselves. The airplane was alone, its approach was perfect, nothing gave any forewarning of an accident. Moreover, the ILS and the tower are protected with a redundant uninterruptable power and alarms come on, in the cockpit and tower, at the least problèm.
While waiting for the résults of the investigation, the familys have buried their relatives, and the people of Luxembourg and Berlin, have rendered homage to the victims. As for the air contrôllers, in contrast to Luxair personnel and various emergency services, they wait for moral support from their employer...