It is also no longer news that the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has come up with its preliminary report with everything pointing towards “pilot or human” error or judgment by pilots, which has been attributed to over 70 per cent of the causes of accidents recorded globally.
Although, the AIB is yet to come up with a full report of the crash, which it promised would be out in no distant time, the investigators had also pointed to the fact that one of the Embraer 120 aircraft’s engines produced less thrust for take-off, further suggesting that the engine was bad and a probable cause of the accident.
Not a few are worried that pilots, who had good training in perhaps, some of the best aviation training schools in the world could engage in dangerous operations. If pilots or crew are making errors not only in Nigeria but globally because accidents are not peculiar to Nigeria (in Nigeria’s case, it is becoming more frequent), what are the solutions to minimise ‘pilot error’ in aviation?
Equipment failure, weather, fuel deprivation or contamination, improper weight and balance, air traffic control, sabotage, and a hundred other plausible things could be a part of the final answer as to the reason, yet in a high percentage of every investigation, it is proven that “pilot error” is the root cause.
According to Boeing, pilot error is the leading cause of commercial airline accidents, with close to 75 per cent of accidents caused by pilot error. The other 20 per cent are mainly due to faulty equipment and unsafe, weather-related flying conditions.
The number seems to get the highest when the pilot(s) die as a result, because we no longer have their expert opinion as to the true cause. Sad but true!
The accident error chain is usually a series of small events that lead up to mishaps. Because of so many daily actions and fast paced events, error chains are sometimes tough to see before the accident.
Pilot error refers to any action or decision – or lack of proper action – made by a pilot that plays a role in an accident. This may include a simple mistake, a lapse in judgment or failure to exercise due diligence.
There are two types of pilot error, according to Aviation Safety Magazine: tactical errors, which are related to a pilot’s poor actions or decisions, often caused by fatigue, inebriation or lack of experience; and operational errors, related to problems with flight instruction and training.
A comprehensive investigation may find other issues not related to the mishap, but could be a factor for another type of mishap. Training issues may be discovered, non-mishap related fatigue issues, or Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) problems.
We must always ask, ‘Why did a supposedly qualified and trained crew make an error? We are used to the word, “pilot or maintenance” error.
Although policies put in place to reduce pilot error are not universal across the world, there are varying guidelines about how long a pilot can captain a flight, how many co-pilots should be present and how many hours a pilot can fly before taking mandatory breaks.
There are also varying guidelines about how many hours of training pilots must complete, below what altitude they should not hand over control of a plane and when they should abort landings.
A pilot with one of the leading domestic airlines who simply gave his name as Richard said most times, “we discover the pilot was very fatigued and tired. The probable cause of an accident could be as a result of excessive airspeed and a failure to properly maintain control of the aircraft.”
He also disclosed that pilots’ in command (PICs) sometimes are rushed to work, sick, a CRM issue, weather or ATC issues among others, stressing, that all of these become the error chain that lead to an irreversible mistakes.
According to him, “remember that the three main causes of human error are pre-occupation, forgetfulness, and inattention. (Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda). If we can recognise and cure these, we are on the way to a safer world of aviation.”
Most of the accidents in Nigeria were attributed to human error or pilot error while others are said to be weather related. Nigeria seems to have tackled the issue of weather as it affects air mishaps following the acquisition of Doppler weather radar about four years ago.
Weather (wind shear) was attributed to the crash of Sosoliso plane in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in November 2005, ADC crash in Abuja in 2006 while weather is also suspected to have also caused Bellview air crash in Lisa, Ogun State in October 2005.
Since the acquisition of real time weather radar by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the issue seems to have shifted to pilot error, allegations of lack of oversight by the aviation regulatory body occasioned by dearth of aircraft inspectors.
Not to forget the crash, last year of Dana MD-83 aircraft, which was caused by dual engine failure and alleged poor judgment of the American captain not to make an air return or land on a field or a very near airport when the problem was detected.
The carriers are equally culpable by their own actions, which invariably put too much pressure on the crew.
Investigation by The Guardian shows that most airlines in the country owe their crew, force them to fly when it is very obvious they are not feeling too good, lack of rest for crew and a whole lot of economic pressure has further fueled the rise in error made by pilots during flight operations.
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