Egyptian crash carrier's fleet had "serious faults"

swissinfo.org ^

[BigDoom]

swissinfo January 5, 2004 8:36 PM

Swiss inspectors found similar faults on both Flash Airlines planes (Keystone)

Switzerland’s aviation authorities say they found serious faults on both planes owned by the Egyptian carrier, Flash Airlines, over a year before one of its planes crashed.

But the Federal office for civil aviation (FOCA) said it was drawing no conclusions about Saturday’s crash, which killed all 148 people on board.

The office said in a statement it had found a number of problems on both aircraft, including missing navigational documents, fuel calculations that didn’t match international standards, and unsuitable emergency exit signs.

“In addition, obvious maintenance deficiencies were found in the areas of the landing gear, the engines and the aircraft steering,” the statement said.

A Flash Airlines Boeing 737 crashed into the Red Sea shortly after take off from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Most of the passengers were French.

Egyptian officials say the crash appears to have been caused by a mechanical problem.

Flight ban

One craft was inspected in Switzerland in April 2002, while the other was examined in October the same year. Inspectors found similar faults on both airlines.

Flash Airlines only had two commercial jets during 2002.

The Swiss agency wrote to the carrier after the first inspection, insisting that these faults be rectified before its next flight to Switzerland.

Celestine Perissinotto of FOCA said the office received no reply from Flash Airlines.

FOCA decided to ban all Flash Airlines flights from Swiss airspace after the carrier failed to provide sufficient proof that the defects had been remedied.

After the second plane was checked in October 2002, the office wrote to the Egyptian authorities, informing them of its decision. It also told the head of the European inspection programme that Flash Airlines was forbidden to land in Switzerland.

FOCA had already revealed it had banned the carrier on Sunday, but it said it had decided to elaborate on its decision following widespread media speculation.

Financial dispute

Mohamed Nour, chairman of Flash Airlines, said his fleet had been banned from Swiss airspace because of a financial dispute.

The French transport minister, Gilles de Robien, said France had not been aware of the Swiss ban and that France had carried out three checks on Flash airlines following the Swiss report but had decided the fleet was fit to fly.

“I have heard it was more for economic reasons that this company did not fly over Switzerland,” de Robien told France's “Europe-1” radio station.

“Extreme caution is needed with this type of announcement, which adds emotion for families who certainly don’t need it at the moment,” he added.

Meanwhile, Germany’s civil aviation authorities have put Flash Airlines’ flying rights under review as a precautionary measure in the light of Saturday’s crash.

The Egyptian civil aviation ministry said on Sunday that all aircraft were subject to regular inspections according to international rules and regulations.

Flash Airlines said the plane which crashed was ten years old and was regularly serviced in Norway.

swissinfo with agencies

[al baby]

series hugh faults

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[thoughtomator]

Fault #1: being run by Egyptians

[GeronL]

right... since it was maintained in Norway, I believe....

[BigDoom]

And it's an other airdisaster that could have been prevented. Switzerland banned Flash Air even for flights over Switzerland due to this finding. France & Germany did inspections without serious findings.

"Extreme caution is needed with this type of announcement, which adds emotion for families who certainly don’t need it at the moment," he added. (French transport minister, Gilles de Robien)

I'm realy angry about such misleading statments. IF they would have done a real inspection, there wouldn't be a need to look for emotions, there wouldn't be 148 deaths.

Maybe it's better to pay 50$ more for a ticket, sometimes... And don't take an Egyptian carrier at all.

[FairOpinion]

Plane made odd move before crash in Egypt
Radar readings showed it made unplanned turn before falling to sea

http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/story/0,4567,104282,00.html


(SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt) The Egyptian chartered plane that crashed on Saturday, engaged in an unusual manoeuvre before plunging into the sea, an Egyptian minister said.

Radar readings showed that the Flash Airlines Boeing 737 climbed to 1,500m after take-off and made a planned left turn before making the unusual move. 'The takeoff was perfectly correct. It climbed to 5,000 feet and then turned left, and this turn was programmed. When turning, something happened,' said Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafik. 'It went back on a straight line at the same level, with a bit of shaking. Then it made a right turn which was not programmed. And here another problem happened. After 17 seconds it hit the sea,' he said.

[Criminal Number 18F]

The actual statement of the Federal Office for Civil Aviation is posted here:

German language:
http://www.aviation.admin.ch/aktuell/medienmitteilungen/00645/index.html?lang=de

French Language:
http://www.aviation.admin.ch/aktuell/medienmitteilungen/00645/index.html?lang=fr

Criminal translation:
[title] The FOCA landing prohibition on Flash Airlines

[summary] The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued a landing prohibition on the Egyptian aviation business Flash Airlines in October, 2002. grounds for this were the deficient condition of the aircraft.

(remainder to follow when I can)

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[ecru]

Safety and reliability are the motto of the company

[Criminal Number 18F]

FOCA Prohibited Flash Airlines From Landing

The Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued a landing prohibition against the Egyptian aviation firm Flash Airlines in October, 2002. The grounds for that were, deficient condition of its airplanes. In the following, the measures taken by FOCA in connection with Flash Airlines are laid out.

Last Saturday, a machine from the Egyptian aviation business Flash Airlines crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Sharm el Sheikh, and all 148 persons on board lost their lives. On the same day various media approached FOCA with the question of whether the office had ever assessed on Flash Airlines a prohibition on landing in Switzerland. FOCA acknowledged these facts. After that the international media issued various contradictory claims about to the grounds for this prohibition.

In the interests of clarity, FOCA has decided to explain its actions with respect to Flash Airlines and its grounds for these actions.

First, two preliminary remarks must be made.

1. The background concerns two inspections carried out by FOCA in the year 2002, which however concerned only the then-current condition of the machines. From this no conclusions can be drawn about the overall safety level of the business and the condition of the accident machine at the start of its flight. The cause of the crash is still not known.

2. Information about safety inspections on aircraft is confidential. In the present case we are going to waive this rule for the one and only time, in order to set straight misconceptions which have arising in the public.

Switzerland has participated for many years as a member state in the inspection program of the European Civil Aviation Organization. Within the framework of this program, FOCA inspectors carry out so-called "ramp checks" of foreign aircraft on a spot-check basis. Every year there are about 160. This isn't a thorough inspection, but an overall condition check of the aircraft and a double-check of flight preparations.

Flash Airlines was twice an object of such checks, on April 27th and on October 11th, 2002. The checks took place on two separate aircraft. On April 27th, the inspectors found a series of serious deficiencies. Among them the documentation for navigation was not present on board, the reckoning of fuel reserves had not been done in accordance with international standards, and the signage for the emergency exits was, in part, in unusable condition. In addition there were obvious maintenance deficiencies noted in the areas of the landing gear, the engines and the flight controls.

FOCA required, in a written report, that Flash Airlines rectify the deficiencies before the next arrival in Switzerland. When the same deficiencies were apparent on the second inspection, FOCA made any further landings in Switzerland dependent on a certification from the Egyptian authorities, that the airplanes of the firm were in sound condition. Flash Airlines tried a few days later to obtain landing authorization. Because there was no sufficient proof that the deficiencies had been effectively remedied, FOCA refused the authorization.

FOCA informed Flash Airlines and its and foreign authorities as follows:

• On October 16th, 2002, Flash Airlines received written notification, that landing authorization in Switzerland had been withdrawn.
• On October 22nd, the Egyptian aviation authorities were informed. FOCA made the report on the inspections of the Flash Airlines airplanes available to the other participating European states in the special database used for that purpose.
• Furthermore, the head of the European inspection program was notified of the landing prohibition via E-Mail on October 16.

Bern, January 5, 2003

Federal Office of Civil Aviation Information

Federal Office of Civil Aviation, Maulbeerstrasse 9, CH-3003 Bern

[Criminal Number 18F]

The term "aircraft steering" in the wire story is a mistranslation. "Flight controls" is a better rendition of the original German Flugsteuerung. In fact, the Swiss agency's own French translation renders it as commandes de vol, which you don't even need to know French to be able to figure out.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

Ping to some of the usual throttle-jockey suspects

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[snopercod]

I can't speak to this particular airline, but in general, "maintenance deficiencies" usually refer to paperwork not being filled out properly.

I find this crash suspicious since the "cause" has already been determined in the press, prior to any evidence whatsoever being produced. They haven't even found the FDR or the CVR yet.

[snopercod]

I stand corrected. French Divers Find Egypt Crash Flight Recorder. Agency Says

[Criminal Number 18F]

I agree. It's irresponsible to suggest that the cause is known at this time, yet we have both the Chicken Little extremes of the Rivero bunch ("I know it was terrorism") and the whistling-in-the-churchyard extremes of various authorities, including Hosni Mubarak, a shrewd man who knows better ("I know it was mechanical"). How about, "we have little evidence at this time, and only when we have gathered and examined all possible evidence will we have a chance of explaining this."

I think it is also interesting that Die Schweiz found similar deficiencies both times, on two separate a/c -- and Flash only had two of this type.

I keep hearing rumours of uncompleted, pencil-whipped ADs. But no one has any proof.

Reminds me of a parable. Remember how your mother always told you to wear clean underwear in case you got hit by a bus? I'm reminded of the dude who flew a Mooney VFR into IMC, never a wise thing to do, and when they examined it they found that many of the parts came from two other planes, one he had reported stolen and received an insurance claim for, and another stolen a/c. The parts of his "stolen" plane had been sawzalled up and were in his hangar. But his ... uh... creative ... maintenance got to him in the end, cause he was left flying partial panel in rotten weather.

In aviation, all short cuts ultimately lead... down.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[JETDRVR]

"The Egyptian civil aviation ministry said on Sunday that all aircraft were subject to regular inspections according to international rules and regulations."



Now thats a the biggest pantload yet. Very sad :(

[JETDRVR]

"When turning, something happened,' said Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafik. 'It went back on a straight line at the same level, with a bit of shaking. Then it made a right turn which was not programmed. And here another problem happened. After 17 seconds it hit the sea,"


In flight T/R deployment at MTOW??? Some of those old 737s DC-8 707s that the Euro 121/125 non scheds use are pretty scary looking. Sorry for the late response , just returned from EDDF yesterday. Had lotsa fun doin .86 at fl430 roaring past our line brethren getting beat up down in the 30ks:) leg time was 7+36 eddf to swf