“If there’s a risk of a number of issues going flawed, the one that can trigger essentially the most harm would be the one to go flawed,” is considered one of Murphy’s basic legal guidelines.

The aviation accident, on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, the place a Japan Airways (JAL) Airbus A350 plane collided with a Japanese Coast Guard Bombardier Sprint 8 plane at Tokyo’s Haneda airport whereas touchdown, by which all 379 passengers on the JAL aircraft escaped however with 5 fatalities on the smaller plane, is an ideal instance of this. There was a discover to airmen issued for Haneda indicating that the cease bar, a set of crimson lights that come on at taxi holding level for that runway, was not out there. The Coast Guard aircraft was cleared to the holding level, which was acknowledged by the pilot to Air Site visitors Management (ATC). The ATC tape transcript additionally reveals the JAL flight being cleared to land, which was acknowledged by the pilots. The investigation report will point out what made the Coast Guard pilot enter the runway. Did he miss the discover to airmen? Did he not hear the ATC situation touchdown clearance to the JAL plane? The investigation report will establish these and we will anticipate the preliminary report in a fortnight, in contrast to accident studies in India which take months and years.

Plane producers are required to show that an plane, in most density configuration, may be fully evacuated inside 90 seconds utilizing solely half the overall variety of emergency exits. The world witnessed the best high quality of self-discipline and crew coaching, which saved 379 folks within the fiery accident. It was an incredible show of orderly evacuation from the burning wreckage that the JAL cabin crew executed. All passengers adopted the protection directions and left the plane with out carrying their hand luggage or crowding round after coming down the plane evacuation slides. Solely three exits have been out there for evacuation. The cabin public tackle system was not working and the crew used megaphone and voice bulletins for the evacuation.

Different incidents

On August 2, 2005, Air France flight, AF 358, from Paris, France, to Toronto overshot the runway whereas touchdown in heavy rain and caught hearth. All 309 passengers have been evacuated safely, although 11 obtained accidents. Pictures of the evacuation confirmed a number of passengers leaving the burning plane with their hand baggage. Comparable motion by passengers on an Emirates flight (EK 521) from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai, on August 3, 2016, that crashed whereas touchdown, confirmed a whole lack of self-discipline on the a part of passengers who have been grabbing their hand baggage, thus delaying the evacuation. The aviation world ought to be taught loads from the completely excessive skilled requirements in JAL’s coaching of its crew. Air passengers worldwide also needs to realise that pre-flight emergency process directions must be adopted critically.

Security considerations, coaching flaws

The Japanese authorities have already made the ATC transcripts public. Distinction this with what would have been a number of months of silence and secrecy in India. Take the case of an excessive onerous touchdown achieved by the crew of an Air India Airbus flight from Kochi to Dubai on December 20, 2023. The information surfaced solely after a monitoring web site confirmed the plane flying to Mumbai on December 27 at an altitude of 9,000 ft as a substitute of the traditional 31,000-plus ft. Ultimately, the information was that the flight had made a 3.5g touchdown at Dubai and was on floor for greater than per week. To place that in easy language, ‘g’ is acceleration as a result of gravity. If an plane does a 1g touchdown, the burden on the wheels equals the burden of the plane. A 3.5g touchdown means the burden on the wheels of the plane at landing is 3.5 instances its touchdown weight for that flight. Touchdown gears aren’t designed for such an affect and the resultant harm to essential plane components may be critical. The aircraft was permitted to depart as an unpressurised flight and was allowed only one take off and one touchdown.

Did the captain report the onerous touchdown within the plane tech log? Did he file the flight security report inside 24 hours, a compulsory requirement by the Directorate Normal of Civil Aviation (DGCA)? What motion did Air India take upon studying of the very onerous touchdown? Why did it take greater than 10 days to report this critical occasion? Was there an try and hush up this critical accident?

A disturbing reality is the failure of the Air India administration to behave proactively on a report by the teacher who skilled the captain. He was a copilot on the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet and was delivered to the Airbus A320 fleet for his first command. The minimal hours on kind that’s required for first command have been bypassed. Let me quote from the letter that the teacher had despatched to the Chief of Coaching, Operations and in addition Security of Air India. “Sir, they’re going through difficulties in workouts which require guide flying expertise and uncooked information flying and needed to be really useful for corrective coaching twice. This I really feel may be attributed to their lack of expertise in the identical, as they each are from the B777 fleet.

“God forbid if there’s an incident/accident involving considered one of these pilots from the [airline’s] 777/787 fleet, many questions will likely be raised, and we won’t have any cheap solutions.”

It was a case of taking pictures the messenger and the teacher pilot was sacked from Air India. Right this moment, the airline has a number of inquiries to reply. The DGCA and Air India ought to have a look at the accidents brought on by confusion of flying various kinds of plane, particularly when fatigue and stress are concerned. One can return to October 12, 1976, when an Indian Airways Caravelle flight from Bombay to Madras (IC 171) crashed shortly after take-off at Bombay and whereas trying an emergency touchdown, killing all 95 passengers on board. The pilots had endorsements on their licences to fly the Boeing and the Caravelle. The change positions for sure features labored in a different way in every plane, which was highlighted within the court docket inquiry

Within the Indian Airways Airbus crash at Bangalore, on February 14, 1990, the place there have been 92 fatalities, the pilots have been contemporary from conversion coaching for the plane.

Within the TAM Airways Airbus crash in Sao Paulo, on July 17, 2007, this was the fourth sector of the day. Although the flight was inside obligation time, one can’t low cost the fatigue issue for the crew. The ATC calls on the moist runway situation have been extra consistent with Boeing terminology. The plane additionally had one thrust reverser unserviceable. One of many pilots had flown beforehand on Boeing plane. The thrust lever motion on a Boeing the place the reverse thrust lever within the cockpit is wire locked is completely different from that on an Airbus. All on board the flight actually burnt to demise.

Within the Asiana crash in San Francisco, on July 6, 2013, the captain had flown beforehand on Airbus plane. On ultimate strategy for touchdown, he was lulled into considering that the auto thrust would reply like within the Airbus he was so used to, forgetting that he was on a unique plane.

Deal with requirements

Air India has had an extended historical past of protecting up critical incidents and accidents with the blessings of the DGCA. The onerous touchdown accident at Dubai ought to function a wake-up name for the airline. The airline has simply inducted a brand new plane, the Airbus A350, and the criterion for the crew chosen to fly it must be primarily based on very excessive requirements and never on seniority. Whereas the primary lot of captains are Airbus skilled, the second lot being despatched for conversion are from the Boeing fleet. Each the DGCA and Air India ought to insist on a tough copy of the simulator proficiency verify report/certification of the pilots coaching on this plane.

Merely stating that security is paramount when so many incidents are being swept underneath the carpet won’t enhance the fame of the airline. India can declare to be among the many quickest rising aviation markets however the place will we stand on the passenger security rely? The Air India administration must do some soul looking with regards to operations, coaching and security. India and its airways have a lot to be taught from the Japan Airways incident.

Captain A. (Mohan) Ranganathan is a former airline teacher pilot and aviation security adviser. He’s additionally a former member of the Civil Aviation Security Advisory Council (CASAC), India