Posted on 12/20/2016 6:36:34 PM PST by george76
For those not familiar with FlightAware, you need to zoom in to the LAX end of the flight path to see the “left turn” vs the “right turn” controller mistake...
Using the coordinates from the link below I have them at about 2000 feet from the peak at 6200 feet, only 500 feet above Mt. Wilson. The numbers aren’t always accurate, though.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/EVA15/history/20161216/0730Z/KLAX/RCTP/tracklog
Looking at the the flight path it looks like they changed course using the flight computer and never took manual control. (It’s a precise and smooth course.) They would have been safer with respect to the mountains if they had continued turning west, but then they may have been in danger of having a midair with the other jet.
It appears from history that jets normally take off to the west. I don’t know if Pacific flights when they take off to the East normally turn north or south, though.
The pilot-in-command is responsible for not flying into other objects regardless of what ATC may instruct. SOP dictates knowing altitude restrictions for the area prior to departure so it is reasonable to assume he climbed to a minimal altitude for his course. One thing is certain - mountains don’t duck or move.
Except of course the consequences are much different.
Listen to the following from the control tower.
The controller tells them to turn left and head south. Instead they turn right toward the mountains. The media is reporting this story incorrectly. This wasn’t a controller problem, but another Asian pilot problem.
What’s amazing is that this doesn’t happen more often.
Is the controller a muslim?
Gee, I’m shocked that the media got something wrong. /SARC
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.