Little attention is given in the Milan Linate accident report (Flight International, 24 February-1 March) to the fact that the Cessna Citation and its crew were not supposed to be at the airport.
In your Comment (Flight International, 24 February-1 March) you say the Citation pilots were only part of the cause, since they failed to follow simple taxiing instructions. This is also what the accident report says. The main causes are (among others):
Visibility was low, between 50m (165ft) and 100m; traffic volume was high; the Cessna crew qualification was not checked; the nature of the flight might have exerted a certain pressure on the Cessna crew to begin despite the prevailing conditions; the Cessna crew was not aided properly with correct publications; radio communications were not performed using standard phraseology, and in both the English and Italian language; the aerodrome standard did not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation Annex 14.The Citation crew accepted a clearance for an approach procedure that was clearly below their qualifications for Category 1 - runway visual range (RVR) 550m - and when the controller asked them if they intended to perform an approach he was given a positive answer. Prevailing conditions for the runway in use were RVR 175m, 200m and 225m. They also attempted to take off in weather conditions below their apparent qualifications.
If we are to learn from accidents we must not be afraid to account for all the reasons.
Ulf Gelberg Head of Training Flygteoriskolan, Stockholm, Sweden
Source: Flight International
