Drunk pilot crushed plane - report

Daily Monitor ^ | December 23 2010 | John Njoroge

[PilotDave]

An exhausted and drunk flight crew and expired plane engines are to blame for the March 9, 2009 crash into Lake Victoria involving a Russian Ilyushin aircraft destined for Somalia, an investigation has shown. At least 11 people were killed including three senior Burundian military officials of the African Mission in Somalia.

And a different crash...

Another report into the March 8 helicopter accident in which Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi survived is attributed to human error.

Mr Nsibambi and six others were flying back to Kampala from Lwakhakha in eastern Uganda when the police helicopter crash- landed on a tree near Bugiri Hospital playgrounds.

The report indicates that although the man who flew Mr Nsibambi was a qualified pilot, he was not sufficiently trained and qualified to fly a helicopter.

“We discovered that he was in the process of migrating from flying small planes to flying helicopters,” Col (Rtd) Chris Mudola told Mr Nasasira and journalists.

There was one qualified pilot to fly helicopters at the time but he was not available to fly. It is not clear, then, who made the judgment call to allow an unqualified person to fly the Prime Minister.

The pilot ignored critical warning signals the aircraft was showing him just before take-off from Kololo airstrip and when he took off from Lwakhakha later that afternoon, endangering the lives of those on board.

The findings indicate that the helicopter developed an oil leak during take-off from Kololo airstrip. The warning lights and the master caution light illuminated for four flight hours. The chip detector light also illuminated for 30 minutes without appropriate corrective maintenance action, resulting in engine failure.

[PilotDave]

Don't fly while in 3rd world countries. Wow.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

...and with burned out Vodka-besotted Russian pilots.

[Global2010]

He crushed the plane?

[bcsco]

“Come fly with me
Let’s fly, let’s fly away
If you can use
Some exotic booze
I’ll drink it on the way...”

Altered lyrics a la Frank Sinatra...

[PilotDave]

That was the headline... And yeah the plane was crushed right along with the 11 passengers.

[Global2010]

Must have imported aged Petrons according to the head line he crushed the plane.

That takes being crazy on good tequila to accomplish that.

[Global2010]

So it was.

Went back and read the article and seems the whole crew was drunk and exhausted.

Unfortunetley they had 11 victems.

[TSgt]

They had heavily taken alcohol and indulged in other social activities, making them heavily fatigued. The crew should have had at least eight hours of sleep but according to investigations, they went to bed drunk at 10pm and woke up at 3am. All the aircraft engines had gone beyond their assigned hours and cycles and had been discarded between 1996 and 2003 although the aircraft was still being used. There were no records indicating when the aircraft was last serviced or when it was due for maintenance. On two occasions, the aircraft experienced engine failure on takeoff and landing at Entebbe Airport but it was still allowed to fly in and out of Entebbe.

[Yo-Yo]

All the aircraft engines had gone beyond their assigned hours and cycles and had been discarded between 1996 and 2003 although the aircraft was still being used.

What, did somebody go dumpster diving for engines?

[Jemian]

Yes, that was my thought as well. Crushed? How big was the pilot? Did he fall onto it? Just how did he crush it? Only reason I clicked on the thread.

[PowderMonkey]

Been there. Done that. Bought the T-shirt. 12 years in Africa. Nothing more terrifying than observing your bleary eyed Russian flight crew arrive at the airfield late. Still drunk, as they tumble out of their vehicle. Cigarettes dangling from their lips as they conduct a cursory check of the fuselage; picking jungle vegetation from the landing gear, accumulated during the previous night's approach. Threadbare tires. Passengers packed 2 per seat. 3 if there are children aboard. Cargo roped down in the isles. Welcome to Weasua Air Transport.

[OldSmaj]

...the master caution light illuminated for four flight hours. The chip detector light also illuminated for 30 minutes...

These are things that any pilot, fixed wing or rotary, should be aware of and trained for.

Failure to take any precaution on the master caution light is distinct pilot error.

The chip detector does give false readings (at least on the old Hueys), but nine times out of ten, it has a chip in it.

Chip meaning a chip of metal from the gears that turn a critical item, say, the tail rotor.

It takes an idiot to ignore those idiot lights.

Must be why they call them idiot lights.

Go to hell, obama.

[F.J. Mitchell]

LOL! Good proof readers are hard to find these days.