Air Crash Investigators at Work
Air crash investigation – Elmina air crash cause revealed.
There are some air crash investigations that have remained unsolved, The most notable one is Malaysia Airlines MH370.
On March 8, 2014, MH370 vanished from radar less than an hour after take-off. Despite extensive search efforts, only a few debris pieces linked to the plane have been found. The main wreckage, including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, remains missing. What happened to the aircraft and its 239 passengers is still unknown.
In contrast, the Malaysian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) recently solved one significant mystery. On August 16, 2024, they concluded their investigation into the crash of a Hawker Beechcraft 390 Premier 1 at Elmina, Shah Alam, Malaysia.
Human error by the flight crew was determined to be the primary cause. The AAIB revealed that an unrated pilot inadvertently extended the spoilers, causing the plane to stall and crash two minutes before landing. The 148-page report provided a detailed account of the accident, emphasizing the importance of adherence to procedures.
The role of the AAIB is not to assign blame but to enhance aviation safety by identifying the causes and contributing factors of accidents. Their goal is to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
In this case, they found that deviations from standard operating procedures, inadequate crew training, regulatory grey areas, and poor communication all contributed to the crash.
Two earlier accidents near Subang International Airport highlight the importance of proper crew training and communication – two key areas the AAIB addressed in their recent findings.
On September 27, 1977, Japan Airlines Flight 715 also crashed near the Elmina Estate.
The DC-8 captain, flying a non-precision approach in bad weather, descended below the decision height of 750 feet and crashed into a hillside. The first officer failed to challenge the captain, likely due to a lack of assertive support training. Today, such training might have prevented this tragedy.
I remember this case vividly as I was holding in the air for the weather to improve at the same time on that day.
On February 19, 1989, Flying Tiger Line Flight 66, a Boeing 747, crashed near Subang Airport. The cause was a miscommunication between the crew and air traffic control.
The plane had been cleared to descend to 2,400 feet, but the crew mistakenly interpreted this as clearance to 400 feet. As a result, the aircraft descended 2,000 feet lower than instructed and crashed into a hillside.
These examples demonstrate the value of air crash investigations. The airline industry has implemented numerous safety improvements, thanks to recommendations from past incidents.
Mandatory Crew Resource Management (CRM) training and standardized phraseology in communications are just two examples of how the industry has evolved to prevent further accidents.