Originally Posted by
DouglasFlyer
Thank you for posting that Douglas, it may help to clarify procedures for many in this thread.
However, in the real world of LaMia2933 it would not have been helpful.
1. I doubt they belong to any IFALPA outfit and therefore, even though the bulletin is 4 years old, they would never have seen it. And, if by some chance they did see it, they would have ignored it -- just as they chose to ignore all of the pertinent regulations governing required fuel. Not by accident or human error - intentionally.
2. With respect to the specific accident [LaMia2933] - calling MAYDAY when you know you will go into your "reserve" fuel is a moot point.
3. Shortly before departure the LaMia Dispatcher took the Flight Plan to the airport office that accepts flight plans. The worker charged with recieving the FPL told the dispatcher that the flight plan was unacceptable because the aircrafts endurance and the estimated time enroute were identical. The dispatcher told her not to worry they would make it in less time. She told him he would have to recalculate and change the flight plan. Thirty minutes later the dispatcher came back for the weather. The worker again asked for the revised FPL. The dispatcher said that was the information he was given and approved by the Captain. There would be no changes to the FPL. She refused to approve it [but does not have the authority to ground the aircraft]. She told him he would have to get approval from the TWR [which he obviously did. The dispatcher also refused to list his name on the FPL but did sign it and wrote his license # in the space provided. BOG was listed on the FPL as the Alternate but based on the FPL there was no fuel to get there and no reserve fuel. That information is in writing and I have seen pictures of the actual FPL.
The operator in the flight plan office wrote an electronic memo to her supervisor outlining the incident and conversation with the dispatcher and stating her reasons for rejecting the FPL. I have also seen a photo of her memo.
Now that takes cojones on the part of the dispatcher and the Captain. That's the first time I have ever seen a Flight Plan on which the aircraft's endurance and the time enroute were the same - in writing and signed. I'm retired now but I drove commercial airliners for 40 years before retiring. That's incredible, but it is also true. I can't believe it But, I've seen the actual documents. They knew exactly what they were doing and just didn't give a damn. IMO, that is MORE than negligence, it is indicative of criminal intent. This flight plan was NOT transmitted, it was delivered, in person by the dispatcher and he was advised, in person, of the errors. Blatant disregard of the law and of safety.
There is not human error here, it was intentional. Totally irresponsible and 71 people, including this so-called captain, are now dead because of it.
It is pretty obvious that this flight would have had to call MAYDAY... during taxi and PRIOR to departure at the airport of origin in Bolivia. There was NEVER any Alternate or Reserve fuel in the tanks to begin with and only enough fuel, full tanks, to just reach Medellin with about 10 minutes left until flameout
IF EVERYTHINGwent
perfectlyenroute, i.e.,
no contingency fuel, no alternate fuel and no reserve fuel.. Something as small as being unable to get the requested FL could have caused fuel exhaustion before reaching the Medellin area. And, he didn't have the chance of a snowball in hell of reaching the filed Alternate.
They did NOT have an electrical emergency. The generators always stop running when the engines fail due to fuel exhaustion.
I've never written anything like this before and pray that I never will again but, IMHO, this was no "accident". The pilot in command made 3 very deliberate decisions that resulted in this crash.
A. He elected to depart with insufficient fuel to legally complete the intended flight legally and he knew it before the fact.
B. He elected to overfly Bogota where he could easily have refueled and thereby avoided this planned disaster.
C. He intentionally departed on a flight with the full knowledge that his planned time enroute was equal exactly to the aircraft's maximum endurance.
They also chose to ignore the warning lights on the annunciator panel that come on when fuel in the individual feeder tanks come on - all 4 of them. They mean that there is 23 minutes of operation remaining before the respective engines flame out. IF they had declared an emergency when those low-fuel lights came on they'd probably all be alive today. When impact ocurred, they were only about 8 miles from the airport.
That is not an accident. It is much more like a mass-murder/suicide. Very harsh words I know, but the evidence will substantiate it. I'm so angry I could scream!
