Biman pilots suspended over Yangon crash

Send
Chowdhury Akbor Hossain
Published : 22:11, Jan 09, 2020 | Updated : 17:54, Jan 13, 2020

Biman Bangladesh Airlines have suspended the pilot and co-pilot over the 2019 incident of one of its aircraft skidding off the runway at Yangon airport while attempting to land.
"Two pilots have been suspended based on findings of our investigation. Departmental lawsuits have been filed against them as well," said Md Mokabbir Hossain, the managing director and CEO of the national flag carrier.
On May 8, 2019, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from Dhaka skidded off the runway after attempting to land at Yangon International Airport amid bad weather.
The 33 people on board flight BG060 included 29 passengers, including a child, two pilots, and two cabin crew.
All people on board the plane were more or less injured with at least 19 hospitalised.
A probe by Myanmar's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) identified the pilot's move to not execute a 'go-around' as the aircraft was unstabilised on approach.
In aviation, a go-around is an aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach. A go-around can either be initiated by the pilot flying or requested by air traffic control for various reasons, such as an unstabilized approach or an obstruction on the runway.
"Due to adverse weather, Yangon control tower asked them to execute a go-around and the aerodrome operations was closed for the aviation safety for 2 hours. When the weather condition got better, the aerodrome operations was opened," reads the AAIB report available on the website of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB).
Biman had also opened an inquiry led by its Chief of Flight Safety Shoeb Chowdhury, which also said the aircraft skid off the runway due to the pilot's error. The national flag carrier suspended the pilot and co-pilot in late December last year based on its findings.
The aircraft was bit higher than on slope while approaching and that it remained on the ground for upwards of 7 seconds after landing, says the Myanmar investigation.
"But the aircraft ran parallel to the runway, and then it flew up in the air up to 44 ft above the ground and sank again and collided with runway 03 and slid forward out of the runway and came to a complete stop on the over-run of the runway 03. There was no fire. All gears were collapsed and fuselage was broken into three sections," it says.
The investigation by Myanmar's (AAIB) also found that the pilot and copilot took turn in controlling the Biman aircraft while on approach and landing phases.
In its safety recommendations, the report said the pilot in command (PIC) should control the aircraft when it was unstablized or the weather was adverse.
It also said that the pilot should have executed a go-around advised by Yangon air traffic control as the plane was unstablized on approach and landing.
"The flight crew should be given a training course on Landing Performance Procedures and Speed stated in Sub section 5.8 Airplane Flight Manual in a flight simulator to be able to perform their duties thoroughly," reads the AAIB safety recommendations.

 

/zmi/
Top