Windhoek — Investigators from the Namibian Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigation are off to Mozambique in the coming week to probe the private life of the late Mozambican airline captain who was in command of the Embraer 190 aircraft when it plummeted to the ground on Namibian soil killing all 33 people on board. The focus is now on whether the pilot did indeed "intentionally crash the aircraft" as presented by the preliminary findings.
"The investigation shifted from aircraft to human factor. The team will leave Namibia for Mozambique to investigate the private life of the pilot, which will form part of the intensive probe into what happened on that fatal flight," Captain Erickson Nengola, Director of Aircraft Accident Investigation in the Ministry of Works and Transport said yesterday in an exclusive interview with New Era.
Namibia is leading the investigation into the crash of the Mozambican airline LAM Flight 470 in the Bwabwata National Park in the Zambezi Region on Friday November 29, carrying 27 passengers and six crew-members.
The plane, an Embraer ERJ-190 with registration number C9-EMC departed from Maputo international airport on a scheduled flight to Luanda, Angola before it crashed in torrential rain killing all 33 occupants on board. At the controls was Captain Herminio dos Santos Fernandes.
The preliminary accident report reveals that all actions that led to the crash were done manually. Records from the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder indicate that the entire descent was performed with the autopilot engaged, an action that requires knowledge of the aircraft's automatic flight systems.
"This displays a clear intent. The reason for all actions is unknown and the investigation is still ongoing," said Nengola.
A final report will be sent to all states that participated in the investigation once the final probe into the private life of the pilot is complete. Following the draft report, Namibia as the State of Occurrence will then pass the final report to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the State of the Operator, Registry, Manufacturer and Design. Thereafter, only then will the final report be made public, said Nengola, who was at pains to point out that Namibia is the only country with authority to release information to the public on the investigation. "Namibia is the State of Occurrence and is responsible for all press releases and the final report and not the State of the Operator. There are some states making comments on this accident, which is not in line with the ICAO convention. Namibia should give comments because we are responsible for this investigation," he cautioned.
Nengola said all occupants have since been identified and the wreckage of the aircraft is still in the Bwabwata National Park but the recovery will start next week.
According to the preliminary report, which New Era has seen a copy of, the flight data and cockpit voice recorders revealed that the aircraft was operating at normal conditions and no mechanical faults were detected.
"Minutes before the crash the first officer left the cockpit for the lavatory and only the captain remained in the flight deck. The altitude was manually selected three times from 38 000 feet to 592 feet (below ground elevation). The auto throttle was manually re-engaged and throttle level automatically retarded and set to idle. The airspeed was normally selected several times until the end of the recording ... which remained close to the VMO (maximum operating limit speed)," reads the preliminary report, adding: "During all these actions there were audibly low and high chimes as well as repeated banging, an indication of calls to enter the cockpit."
Nengola disclosed that the flight operations were normal and the aircraft was cruising at 38 000 feet. The preliminary report concluded: "All actions observed from the recorder requires knowledge of the aircraft's automatic flight systems as the entire descent was performed with the autopilot engaged. This displays a clear intent. The reason for all these actions is unknown and the investigation is still ongoing."
Nengola said the flight was in good radio communication with Gaborone area control on frequency 126.1 MHZ. The radar data revealed that at position EXEDU, which is a mandatory reporting point in the Gaborone flight information region the aircraft commenced a sudden descent.
Preliminary findings also show that radar and voice contact was lost with air traffic services.
A search and rescue operation was instituted which located the wreckage the following day in the Bwabwata National Park.
The Brazilian-manufactured Embraer 190 aircraft was carrying 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, and one citizen each from France, Brazil and China, said the airline.
Six crewmembers, including two pilots, three flight attendants and a maintenance technician were on board.
Source: http://allafrica.com
NTSB Identification: DCA14RA018
Accident occurred Saturday, November 30, 2013 in Rundu, Namibia
Aircraft: EMBRAER ERJ190 - UNDESIGNAT, registration:
Injuries: 33 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.
The Namibia Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT) has notified the NTSB of an accident involving an Embraer ERJ-190 that occurred on November 30, 2013. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the MWT investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacturer and Design of the engines.
All investigative information will be released by the MWT.
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