Centaurus
2nd Sep 2017, 14:04
In 1998 author Macarthur Job wrote a series of books on Air Disasters.
Volume 3 included at Chapter 6 a story headed "We will turn back soon." It was about an accident to a Thai International Airbus A310 that crashed into mountains at Kathmandu after the crew became disorientated during a missed approach in bad weather. The date was July 31, 1992.
"We will turn back soon" were the captain's last words recorded on the CVR to his first officer, 20 seconds before impact.
Around that period Captain Keith Hantz the former RAAF and Ansett pilot who on retirement became a simulator instructor running his own business at Essendon Airport. With two D4 Link Trainers he coached pilots for their command instrument ratings. I would help him when he needed a day off. The Kathmandu VOR approach chart was used as an example of an unusual missed approach procedure that required skill and knowledge of basic ADF/VOR orientation. It was lack of this basic instrument flying skill by the captain of the ill-fated Thai A310 that was a contributory cause of the accident - that and the superior attitude displayed by the captain to his first officer.
The following article by Flight International aviation journalist David Learmount explains how the accident occurred. Excessive reliance on automation by the captain when it was more appropriate to fall back on radio navigation skills was another contributory factor to the accident.
https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1993/1993%20-%201290.PDF
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19920731-0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Airways_International_Flight_311
Volume 3 included at Chapter 6 a story headed "We will turn back soon." It was about an accident to a Thai International Airbus A310 that crashed into mountains at Kathmandu after the crew became disorientated during a missed approach in bad weather. The date was July 31, 1992.
"We will turn back soon" were the captain's last words recorded on the CVR to his first officer, 20 seconds before impact.
Around that period Captain Keith Hantz the former RAAF and Ansett pilot who on retirement became a simulator instructor running his own business at Essendon Airport. With two D4 Link Trainers he coached pilots for their command instrument ratings. I would help him when he needed a day off. The Kathmandu VOR approach chart was used as an example of an unusual missed approach procedure that required skill and knowledge of basic ADF/VOR orientation. It was lack of this basic instrument flying skill by the captain of the ill-fated Thai A310 that was a contributory cause of the accident - that and the superior attitude displayed by the captain to his first officer.
The following article by Flight International aviation journalist David Learmount explains how the accident occurred. Excessive reliance on automation by the captain when it was more appropriate to fall back on radio navigation skills was another contributory factor to the accident.
https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1993/1993%20-%201290.PDF
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19920731-0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Airways_International_Flight_311