Mixed reaction greet latest Precision Air crash report

Rescuers search for survivors after a Precision Air plane plunged into Lake Victoria in Bukoba on November 6, 2022, killing 19 of the 43 people on board. PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • According to the latest report, the weather in Bukoba was not favourable when the plane went down and the crew did not pay attention to a series of warnings

Dar es Salaam. Aviation experts yesterday voiced mixed views on the Precision Air plane crash preliminary report released by the Works and Transport ministry through the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

While some said they hoped lessons would be learnt from the accident, others were of the view that the crash was “God’s will” and nobody in particular was to blame.

A Precision Air 48-seater ATR42-500 twin turboprop airliner with 39 passengers and four crew members on board crashed into Lake Victoria on November 6 last year as it was flying from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba. Nineteen people died in the accident.

According to the latest report, the weather in Bukoba was not favourable when the plane went down and the crew did not pay attention to a series of warnings.

Going by the findings, the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) approach, which makes it possible for a pilot to primarily control and navigate the aircraft using outside visual references, was conducted “in very poor and adverse weather during the last phase of the flight”.

The findings also show that the crew did not respond appropriately to the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS).

The aircraft was on VFR final approach to runway 31 of Bukoba Airport in marginal weather conditions when the EGPWS warned about the excessively high descent rate three times.

“The warning was not followed by corrective action of the flight crew. Instead, the flight crew pushed the control column into a nose down position,” the report says.

Prior to the crash, the plane circled for about 20 minutes in heavy rain, prompting the flight crew to make right and left turns in order to navigate through narrow weather windows.

“Indeed at one point, the EGPWS warnings (against terrain) came on but were not heeded.”

However, it appears that the Pilot in Command (PIC) was committed to landing at Bukoba Airport.

“Marginal visibility caused high workload among the crew and may have contributed to the failure to react to terrain warnings during the final approach.”

But Air Transport Accident Investigation assistant director Redemptus Bugomola said it was too early for the government to state whether any lessons had been learnt.

The latest findings were not about the cause of the accident, but observations gleaned from what happened during the ill-fated flight.

“The final report will be released at the conclusion of the investigation. It will include causal and contributory factors of the accident,” Mr Bugomola told The Citizen by phone.

“We will then draw recommendations from which it will be possible to state whether any lessons have been learnt.”

Referring to VFR approach being executed in adverse weather, aviation expert John Chambo said a key lesson that could be drawn from the preliminary report was the need to abide by the established rules and regulations.

“Learning is a continuos process. We learn and we will continue learning to prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future,” Mr Chambo, a former air navigation services director with the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), told The Citizen.

On failure by the flight crew to heed EGPWS warnings, he said he did not think they did it intentionally.

“There might be a reason. It can happen in some circumstances, depending on the location of the aircraft,” Mr Chambo, who has 35 years of civil experience, concluded.

Another aviation expert, Mr Gaudence Temu, said the Precision Air accident should be viewed as a lesson to prevent similar incidents in the future.

He said those involved in the entire aviation chain should adhere to the laid-down rules and regulations at all times.

“Every incident has a lesson to offer. We need to adhere to the rules and regulations because they are there for a reason.”

He added, however, that the flight crew were blameless, and the disaster was caused entirely by bad weather.

The weather was good for almost the entire flight, but changed into violent thunderstorms when the aircraft was only five minutes from landing.

Mr Juma Fimbo echoed Mr Temu’s views, saying an accusing finger should not be pointed at anybody.

“I think the accident was God’s will and that is why the pilot’s efforts to divert to Mwanza Airport proved futile,” he said.

The aircraft and its crew were in good shape, according to the report.

“...there is no evidence to suggest the flight crew were not fit and healthy prior to the flight,” the report says.

The aircraft had valid registration, airworthiness and release-to-service certificates and the required scheduled maintenance had been conducted.