Pre-crash Communication Hints at Pilot Error

Pre-crash Communication Hints at Pilot Error. June. 28, 2007 03:14. lightee@donga.com turtle@donga.com.

It was pouring with rain and a thick blanket of fog was blocking all visibility. Thirty-five minutes passed after the PMT flight, carrying 22 people including 13 South Koreans, left from Siem Reap, bound for the coastal town of Sihanoukville. The AN-24 was approaching a Cambodian mountain, covered in dense jungle, when the following communication took place:

“We are flying at an altitude of 2000 feet.” (pilot)

“You are flying too low. Given your current location, you should move to an altitude of 4000 feet.” (control tower, Sihanoukville)

“It’s no problem; I am familiar with this area.” (pilot)

The plane lost contact shortly after this communication, disappearing from radar screens as it crashed into the northeastern side of Bukor Mountain.

Pride-driven tragedy-

According to a recording of the conversation obtained by the Korean Embassy in Cambodia, it is highly likely that the crash was caused due to pilot error. “The plane was flying lower than the standard altitude,” said Oh Gap-yeol, Korean Ambassador, after hearing the recording at the embassy. “The control tower warned the pilots that their altitude at the time of the crash was too low,” Oh confirmed.

Around 50 km into the flight path to Sihanoukville airport lies the rugged Bokor Mountain – standing around 4000 feet above sea-level and running through the coastal town. Given the height of the mountain, the plane should have maintained an altitude of at least 3800 feet. However, the plane was flying at 2000 feet – far below the standard altitude for the area. The inclement weather made matters worse, but the pilot’s pride led him to dismiss the warnings from the control tower. Russian news agency Itar-Tass confirmed that the pilot was Nicoli Fablanco, an Uzbekistani.

Moreover, the plane was reported to have deviated from its flight path. According to a military pilot who joined the rescue efforts, the plane had flown slightly north of the normal flight-path to Sihanoukville. This argument was also verified by the fact that the plane crashed near Southwest Bokor Mountain, 3600 feet above sea-level. The remote location delayed rescue efforts as workers had difficulty accessing the crash site.

Signs of tragedy-

Rescuers first identified adverse weather conditions as the cause of the crash.

“The crash was caused by bad weather; not by a technical fault,” said Kekyam, chief of the rescue team, in an interview. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen shared the chief’s analysis in a news conference held soon after the crash.

Safety is often compromised. The PMT airliner that crashed was a decrepit Russian-made AN-24 that was developed over 40 years ago. With a poor safety record, the aircraft experienced a separate accident in Northern Russia in 2005 that took the lives of 29 people.

PMP airlines countered the accusation, saying, “The plane in question was in good condition and met all safety standards before the flight.” The airline added that it is too early to determine the exact cause of the accident, and it will remain so until the black box flight data recorder can be recovered. A foreign affairs official said that as soon as the black box is found, they will consult Russian aviation experts who have arrived in Cambodia to conduct further analyses.

“All aircraft will checked for safety issues and those found to be too old and unsafe will be removed from service,” said Hun Sen.