THE HAGUE, Dec. 21 — Victims and relatives of an air crash of 20 years ago in Faro, Portugal, have sued the Dutch state, Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reported on Friday.
The victims that survived and relatives of deceased victims say the former Dutch Council for Aeronautics deliberately withheld information for them.
It is the first time that the Dutch government was dragged to court because of a plane crash. In addition, the responsible airline Martinair was also summoned. The summons were expected because the case would otherwise expire after 20 years.
The disaster with Martinair Flight 495 happened on Dec. 21, 1992, when the Dutch DC-10 crash-landed at Faro Airport and 56 people were killed. The aircraft carried 13 crew members and 327 passengers.
The victims now point at new research from aviation investigator Harry Horlings, whose analysis of the black boxes indicated that the pilots have made many mistakes. According to the research the pilots had to abort the landing five times, but they did not.
“The actions of the captain and co-pilot can be described as deliberately reckless,” stated the summons, which is in possession of the Algemeen Dagblad. “The combined efforts of both pilots caused the accident.”
According to the summons the crosswind was too hard to land, the aircraft did not follow the prescribed route, it came down from the wrong angle and the gas was turned off too early. However, the official investigation speaks of an unexpected gust of wind causing the aircraft to hit the ground.
The summons conclude that both Martinair and the Council for Aeronautics deliberately lied about the circumstances at information meetings and that the investigation was influenced by the Dutch state to exculpate the pilots.
The relatives and victims want Martinair to be convicted as guilty, the state to admit its mistakes and that all damage will be compensated.
Source: http://www.nzweek.com
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