Thursday, July 5, 2007
Pilot Error or Mechanical Failure? Brazil Midair Collision
Somewhere over the Amazon jungle in Brazil two modern, brand new aircraft crossed paths and one of them never landed. It is assumed that, at 37,000 feet, these two aircraft collided and the larger of the two, a Boeing 737-800, entered a descending spiral which culminated on the floor of the jungle. The jungle was so thick that rescuers had to parachute in and clear landing spaces for rescue helicopters. Of the 154 crew and passengers on the Boeing none survived.
Meanwhile, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet experienced a slight jolt, described by a Times writer as a car hitting a pothole, landed at a nearby military base where they discovered damage to the left winglet and some damage to its tail. The wing had started to peel back, causing the Legacy passengers to fear they were going to crash, but the pilots were able to land safely.
What happened?
As with most aviation accidents the cause is not readily apparent. Each aircraft was under air traffic control (ATC), and each aircraft was equipped with TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) which should have warned them they were too close. To further complicate things, these aircraft were operating in a gray area of radar coverage where two different ATC facilities responsibilities overlap. It appears that the Legacy jet was following one airway at 37,000 feet and was supposed to descend to 36,000 feet upon reaching yet another airway. The Boeing was traversing the area at 37,000 feet.
The interesting part.
Brazilian authorities have detained the crew of the Legacy jet by taking their passports and not allowing them to leave the country. Further, officials have claimed that this crew purposely turned off their transponder (a device in the aircraft in which the crew sets a unique 4 digit code) in order to perform some pilot tricks in their aircraft. If the transponder was, indeed, turned off, or simply did not work, then the TCAS systems in both the Boeing and the Legacy jet would not work properly. As a pilot I can tell you that when the TCAS is working the warnings would be difficult, if not impossible, to ignore!
However, in another development it turns out that the manufacturer of the transponder, Honeywell, had problems with earlier versions of this model when the crew took longer than five (5) seconds to set a new code upon request of ATC. If it took longer than five (5) seconds the transponder would go into the standby mode, and would not be transmitting its proper signal.
Honeywell denies this particular transponder would have that problem, and insists that it had long ago advised operators of the problem and had issued a software upgrade to fix the problem. The pilots deny that they turned the transponder off, and it is hard to imagine anyone would do such a thing.
So while we are left to ponder the cause, the crew is left in limbo, trapped in Brazil, amongst a hostile population who want revenge for the deaths of 154 people.
Pilot error or mechanical failure?
We can only hope that the Brazilian authorities get this one right and that the proper, definitive cause of this accident is determined. As a fellow pilot I hope and believe the cause was not some cowboy activities, and that the pilots are returned home safely and soon.
Keep your wings level and fly straight.
Crusty Captain
Why You Need House Insurance
House insurance is among the most important insurances you can get and in the case of buildings insurance, most mortgage lenders make it compulsory. This is because your home is your biggest asset and if you lose it because of fire, flood or another disaster and you have a mortgage outstanding on it, there may be nothing tangible to repay back your mortgage with.
There are two types of household insurance buildings and contents. These can also be purchased as individual plans or combined. If you buy the insurance combined (ie from one insurer) they you tend to get an overall discount.
Buildings insurance gives your property (and its fixtures and fittings which are permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchen or built in wardrobes) financial protection in the event of damage. Unless your mortgage provider insists you have cover, this insurance is still strongly recommended as it protects probably your most major asset.
Contents insurance while not compulsory is just as important as buildings cover. Again, it offers protection against fire, damage, loss etc. and will cover most of your possessions in the home from baby clothes to DVDs to audio equipment to valuables (up to a set limit which your insurer will define).
If you have something particularly valuable (such as an expensive watch) or something you take outside the home and that is more liable to damage or theft (eg a bicycle or a laptop) contact your insurer to see if you need to upgrade your policy. This should only mean a small increase in your house insurance premium and will give you the peace of mind that the item is covered.
As with all insurance products, when looking for house insurance, do shop around for the most competitive premium. Online insurance brokers, where you enter your details and requirements just once and the search engines goes off and finds the best deals for you, are free and easy to use and give you a good idea as to how much you should be paying.
As with all product comparisons, when it comes to house insurance, do compare premiums on a like for like basis to ensure you get the level of over you need.
