Monday, September 26, 2011

Nepal: 'Private sector investment in aviation manpower poor'. Buddha Air Beech 1900D, 9N-AEK, Flight U4-103. Kathmandu.

http://www.faa.gov/accident_incident/preliminary

Medini Prasad Sharma, former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), is one of the few people in the country who can comment with authority on aviation vulnerabilities in Nepal. After 30 years of service in the aviation sector and involvement in over half-a-dozen commissions formed to probe air crashes in the country, Sharma also headed a High-Level Taskforce on Compliance Status of Safety Recommendations Issued by Past Accident Investigation Commissions.

It studied the reports on all air crashes that have occurred in Nepal after 1992. Sharma spoke to Republica on Monday about the problems in Nepal´s aviation infrastructure and human resources, also shedding light on what needs to be done to make our skies safer. Excerpts:

From information available so far, Sunday´s crash of a Buddha Air Beechcraft appears to have resulted from human error. The aircraft entered the clouds several times in Kathmandu before crashing. Are our pilots to some extent compelled to conduct flights in difficult weather?

It´s too early to say definitively that yesterday´s crash was caused by human error. The aircraft entered the clouds and also made a steep descent before crashing. It is possible that the equipment that is used even under Visual Flight Rules was giving wrong readings of altitude and the height of nearby hills. What we know for sure is the weather played a role. All factors-- technical, human and natural -- should be equally and minutely studied (by the government-formed probe committee) to arrive at a conclusion.

In 19 years since the country´s skies were opened to the private sector, there have been nearly two dozen accidents in domestic flights. What does this say about aviation safety in Nepal?

It says many things. Private airlines sprang up one after another, roping in well-trained human resources from Nepal Airlines. However, the human resources sufficed for only a few private airlines. More than 30 private airlines, including those that are no longer in operation, came into being after the country adopted a liberal aviation policy in 1992. But these airlines did not produce the quality manpower they should have had. They didn´t invest in human resources. For commercial airline companies in Nepal, investing in human resources did not appear profitable in the short run, though it is a very fruitful long-term investment. But some companies including Buddha Air and a few new airline companies told me recently that they realize safety in aviation means money. And safety comes from well-trained human resources.

Also, CAAN, which was monitoring just one airline 19 years ago, is now monitoring over a dozen, with more or less the same manpower and same infrastructure. CAAN also has not produced the skilled manpower to monitor the operations of the mushrooming private airlines.

Despite the fact that CAAN´s responsibility has multiplied manyfold, we witnessed a painful example on Sunday of a crucial institutional lacking at CAAN when search and rescue failed totally. A helicopter should have been sent immediately after learning that a passenger had survived the crash. But there was a delay and the passenger died. Whenever a plane crashes, CAAN requests the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) to initiate rescue operations, and RCC requests Nepal Army (NA) for a chopper. This takes time and often costs life. This should change. There should be a long-term contract between CAAN and NA so that once CAAN asks for a chopper, NA immediately sends one.

Regarding aviation human resources, let´s focus on pilots. What exactly do out pilots lack?

Our airports are located in geographically complex areas. Our pilots are not trained adequately for operating flights to these airports. Pilots must undergo simulation training before conducting flights to such airports, which is not happening in Nepal. The government should formulate laws making it mandatory for pilots to take simulation training in flying to airports where they will eventually conduct passenger flights. Airlines should offer such simulation exercises to their pilots. CAAN should monitor whether this is indeed done. Simulation is a must for fully preparing our pilots to confidently conduct flights to and from difficult airports in Nepal.

What about aviation infrastructure?

It is poor. CAAN should upgrade four infrastructural aspects: communications, navigation, surveillance and meteorology. Upgrading the infrastructure is expensive. But without this, pilots will always be ill-equipped in terms of information for making the best decisions. We have challenging airports like at Lukla where the weather might appear clear when you fly to the airport, but clouds might suddenly obstruct visibility completely while flying back. The only way to neutralize such weather conditions is upgrading navigation infrastructure.

Though most air crashes in the country are blamed on human error, the fact remains that pilots often make wrong decisions because inadequate infrastructure means inadequate information. For example, wrong information about air traffic by Air Traffic controllers forced the pilot of a Tara Air plane last year to make a steep descent to avoid collision with another plane. This led to a crash. One can argue that the pilot made an error in not pulling the aircraft up instead. But the pilot had two choices, of which he took one. Wrong information that arises from infrastructural inadequacy often contributes to human error.

How challenging is aviation in Nepal, given the topographical diversity?

It is really challenging. For flying to most airports, planes have to fly carefully between towering hills. The locations of many airports are also not technically sound. But this is a reality in most developing countries. Locations of airports may not be technically feasible, but political and social feasibility are also important factors in countries like Nepal.

How serious do you find the government, CAAN and airline operators in learning from past air crashes?

There was little seriousness in the past. But things are changing. Airline operators are beginning to realize that learning from past mistakes is to their own advantage. The government is taking an initiative to introduce aviation regulations on par with ICAO standards following the submission of my report (of the High Level Taskforce on Compliance Status of Safety Recommendations Issued by Past Accident Investigation Commissions).

http://www.myrepublica.com

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