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from Sky News:
Six people have died and six are injured after a small commuter plane crashed at Cork Airport on its way from Belfast.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the Manx2 Avia flight with 10 passengers and two crew had crashed on its third attempt at landing in heavy fog.
The plane apparently struck the runway before flipping over and coming to a stop 1,000ft away. The front was engulfed in flames.
Four of the wounded are seriously injured and two are said to be in comfortable condition.
The airport has been closed since the crash, which happened at around 10am.
Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness had been due to be on the ill-fated flight until his plans changed.
He said: "The loss of lives is awful and our hearts go out to the families of all those who have been bereaved and indeed the families of those people who have been injured."
The IAA statement said: "The aircraft made an approach to Runway 17 in low-visibility conditions and went around and did not land and attempted a second landing on Runway 35.
"The aircraft then went around a second time and came back for an approach to Runway 17.
Manx2, which operates only as a booking service for flights, has been running the Belfast City to Cork route since October 2010. The airline, which was founded in the Isle of Man, carries more than 100,000 passengers each year.
The company said: "We are working with all relevant authorities to establish what happened. We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident."
L
I shall await the AAIB report with interest, however it looks to me like it was human error because the plane probably should have diverted after the second go-around. Sad that people died in any case.
2
someirishkidThe Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the Manx2 Avia flight with 10 passengers and two crew had crashed on its third attempt at landing in heavy fog.The IAA statement said: "The aircraft made an approach to Runway 17 in low-visibility conditions and went around and did not land and attempted a second landing on Runway 35.
"The aircraft then went around a second time and came back for an approach to Runway 17.
I see the problem there. Why is it so foggy?
I could only imagine how thick it must have been to have fog as literally blinding the pilots. My comment about the whether conditions there must really be a burden as nature seems to make it rather difficult during these times.
It could have been a human error like what LoonyLion said, but I would have to blame it on the fog. If I were driving an airplane in that atmosphere, I would rather land somewhere else.
Replying to #3
Human error because they should have landed somewhere else, but either they decided not to or they were not told to by ATC. Ergo, it was not the fog that caused the crash but the decision to land in the fog rather than diverting to an airport with better visibility. They made two unsuccessful attempts, that should have been sufficient for them to determine that visibility was too low to effect a safe landing therefore they should have diverted rather than made a third attempt.
Replying to #4
It would have been safer, but tight schedules are always on the pilots' minds. So whenever the plane is destined to land, it must follow a strict time limit.
Replying to #5
I'm sure if the pilot thought it was too dangerous and lives were on the line, he would make the right decision to go somewhere else.
Such a shame to hear of the lives lost.
2DamCerius · #5It would have been safer, but tight schedules are always on the pilots' minds. So whenever the plane is destined to land, it must follow a strict time limit.
That is incorrect. diversions due to weather/visibility conditions making it unsafe to land are common. Myself, I have spent 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac in an aircraft waiting for a break in the weather to allow us to take off. Pilots and ATC staff are expressly trained to err on the side of caution.
Replying to #7
I was trying to understand how far it would have taken for them to land on the nearest airport, but it seems geographically they didn't even bother to go the extra mile.
And apparently the pilot was following the "three strikes rule," and three strikes you are outta the ball game. So this pilot wasn't even cautionary to say the least.
Loonylion · #7That is incorrect. diversions due to weather/visibility conditions making it unsafe to land are common. Myself, I have spent 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac in an aircraft waiting for a break in the weather to allow us to take off. Pilots and ATC staff are expressly trained to err on the side of caution.
Same deal here, I've been on many flights and most (give or take a few) have always took a very long time due to weather conditions. I had to wait 2 hours in a plane in Denver coming back from California because of a blizzard or something to that effect.
Safety should always be the number 1 priority on the aircraft, I highly doubt there should be anything but that as a first priority.
Fucking edit.
What is this three strikes rule among pilots? Doesn't make sense to me.
Replying to #9
I was making an analogy based on his third time around the airplane made an attempted landing...
...with baseball three strikes means out, pilot goes around three times means out. Ugh, never mind.
Terrible analogy, enough said.
L
2DamCerius · #10I was making an analogy based on his third time around the airplane made an attempted landing...
...with baseball three strikes means out, pilot goes around three times means out. Ugh, never mind.
What he should of done was after two failed attempt 'realise' that's its not safe and make another option.
Replying to #12
what other option did he have? the plane could have been low on fuel. you can't just fly in circles until the fog eases up.
also, the fog lasted most of that day, meaning the circles option was out of the question. Also, the pilots were Spanish so they might not have been familiar with Cork Airport
Replying to #13
It is in the rules that planes must carry sufficient fuel to allow them to divert to alternative airports at any point in the journey. Additionally, only the pilot was spanish, the co-pilot was british.
my mistake.
but still, they didn't have many other options
