Release #13.35
July 9, 2013
ALPA Asks for Answers to Key Questions in Accident Investigation
WASHINGTON — The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, released the following statement regarding the crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco on Saturday, July 6, 2013.
The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), as the largest nongovernmental safety organization in the world, continues to monitor the accident investigation of Asiana 214 and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)’s ill-advised release of partial data in the aftermath of this tragedy.
The NTSB’s release of incomplete, out-of-context information has fueled rampant speculation about the cause of the accident. The field phase of the investigation is barely three days old, and the pilots on the flight deck, at the controls of the aircraft, had little opportunity to provide vital information as to what exactly happened during the event before disclosing data recorded during the last moments of the flight.
In the interest of providing context to the information already disclosed, ALPA calls on the NTSB to, at the very least, elaborate on factual material that has been excluded from public releases but must be considered in determining not only what happened, but why.
For example:
Why was the Instrument Landing System (ILS), a critical aid to pilots, out of service?
In the absence of the ILS, was an alternate space-based navigation capability, such as Required Navigation Performance (RNP), available and in use?
Were other aids to accurate vertical positioning, such as the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights, functional, and if not, why not?
Was the crew using onboard aids such as Vertical Navigation (VNAV) to determine a precise vertical path?
Did the crew’s training include proper use of all these capabilities?
What were the indications shown on the flight instruments available to the pilots, and how did this information compare to what was recorded?
These are just some of the critical questions that need to be investigated in order to determine the entire chain of events leading to the accident. Without the full body of facts surrounding a catastrophic event, partial or incomplete information can lead to erroneous conclusions and, in turn, skew the perception of individuals’ behavior. This could then lead to misguided assessments of the crew’s intentions and actions.
ALPA calls on the international aviation community, including our government and industry safety partners around the world, to redouble its efforts to gather the full body of factual knowledge necessary and release that information accordingly.
Only then can the global safety community be able to identify potential hazards and continue to make safety improvements in every aspect of the aviation system.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilots union, representing more than 50,000 pilots at 33 airlines in the United States and Canada.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org