Sir - For the Dutch and Belgian Governments to ask the International Civil Aviation Organisation for changes in flight plan-transmitted data seems a bit over the top (News in Brief, "C-130 crash", Flight International, 30 October-5 November, P18).
Assuming that air-traffic control was talking to the Lockheed Martin C-130 crew before the accident, it would have been reasonable to ask on the R/T for the "passengers on board [POB]". Either this is notified by telephone or monitored on VHF.
R E G Parfitt
Dept of Civil Aviation
Turks and Caicos Islands
British West Indies
-Sir - The recent C-130 accident highlights a problem: that of the accurate and immediately available information on the POB number.
Until a better system is in place to provide that information to the organisation responsible for immediate reaction to an accident, a local solution is the only answer.
I introduced a system at Filton whereby the POB is passed on the initial call for start and on the initial call to Filton for aircraft inbound to us. Some aircrew, seem to think this an imposition. I think the horrific consequences of the Eindhoven accident might just focus their minds.
RJMillington
Manager, air traffic services
Serco, Bristol, UK
Source: Flight International
