The report confirms an earlier statement issued by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), which said the pilot most likely mistook Arusha Airport for KIA.
What you need to know:
TCAA Director General Fadhil Manongi said he was aware of the report and that it had confirmed what initial circumstances had indicated.
Dar es Salaam. Pilot error was to blame when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 with 223 people on board made an unscheduled landing at Arusha Airport last month, says a new report.
The preliminary report issued by the Tanzania Air Accident Investigation Branch (TAIB) and published by the Aviation Safety Network website yesterday says the pilot landed at the wrong airport, which was not equipped to handle large aircraft.
This was after he had been cleared to land at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
The pilot apparently saw Arusha Airport during descent and prematurely abandoned the given arrival procedure which would have taken him to KIA.
“He subsequently joined left downwind for runway 27 Arusha Airport while believing that he was proceeding to land at Kilimanjaro. His downwind position report was not challenged by the Kilimanjaro controller, who should have had him in sight in that position,” the report said.
The report confirms an earlier statement issued by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), which said the pilot most likely mistook Arusha Airport for KIA.
The report pours cold water on suggestions of a communication breakdown, saying the pilot had been cleared to land, had acknowledged the clearance and reported having the airport in sight.
“When the controller (at KIA) failed to see to the aircraft, he tried to reach the pilot but there was no reply. It was during the repeated calls that he received a telephone call from the Arusha tower informing him that ET-AQW had landed at Arusha airport.”
The jet that was en route to Mombasa from Addis Ababa via KIA landed at Arusha Airport on December 18, 2013.
The Boeing 767 made a safe landing on the runway, which is only 1,631 metres long. However, the aircraft came to a stop in soil as the pilot attempted to prevent the giant twin-engined aircraft from overshooting the runway.
The 223 people on board escaped unhurt, and there was no damage to the aircraft.
The aircraft was later towed back onto the runway and successfully took off for KIA without passengers on December 20.
TCAA Director General Fadhil Manongi said he was aware of the report and that it had confirmed what initial circumstances had indicated.
“I’m not surprised by the results. It’s a fact that most air mishaps and accidents are caused by pilot error,” he said, and clarified that TAIB was not under TCAA, but the Ministry of Transport.
Mr Manongi said a more detailed report would be issued, explaining why and how the mishap happened.
Detailing how the mishap happened, the report says: “Whilst descending to flight level 24,000 feet (FL 240) the pilot made the first contact with the Kilimanjaro International Airport. He reported that he had been cleared by the Dar es Salaam Area Control Centre to descend to FL 240 estimating touchdown at Kilimanjaro at 09:50 hours.
“At 09:29 hours the pilot was informed by the Kilimanjaro Approach that runway 09 (the runway with instrument arrival) was not available due to a disabled aircraft at the approach end. He was advised to use the reciprocal runway (runway 27) which had 3,300 metres available for the landing. This runway was not equipped with instrument landing system.”
After acknowledging the clearance at 09:31 hours the pilot was cleared to flight level 12,000 (FL 120) and was advised to report on seeing the runway 27, the report says.
“At 09:43 hours the pilot reported to have airport in sight and advised that he would be joining left downwind runway 27. The controller instructed Flight ETH-815 to report left base runway 27. The pilot acknowledged,” the report says.
“At 09:45 hours the pilot requested the position of the disabled Caravan 1. The reply indicated 300 metres from the threshold of runway 09 and the available landing distance of 3,300 meters for runway 27. At 09:46 hours the pilot reported left base. He was given the surface wind 080/02 and cleared to land.” But then the pilot landed at Arusha Airport.
