AMERICAN AIRLINES, which suffered a Boeing 757 controlled-flight-into-terrain accident in December 1995 near Cali, Colombia, is the launch customer for AlliedSignal Aerospace's new enhanced ground-proximity warning system (EGPWS). The system is expected to be awarded US Federal Aviation Administration certification in October. The US carrier has placed a $20 million order for the EGPWS and is planning to equip its entire fleet of 635 aircraft by mid-1999.
In December, the crew of American Flight 965 inadvertently flew the aircraft into a mountain, an accident which it is believed might have been avoided had the EGPWS been aboard the aircraft. British Airways continues to test a prototype EGPWS unit in a Boeing 747 in conjunction with a standard GPWS, and Malaysia Airlines has requested a change to its Boeing 777 contract to enable the aircraft to be delivered with EGPWS equipment.
Source: Flight International
