The Air Accidents Investigation Branch says the LOT incident demonstrates how reliant pilots may become on the flight management system, and how essential it is to ensure that the system is provided with accurate data. It adds that better cross-checking would have prevented the situation from developing.
But it has not issued any safety recommendations because the carrier is considering reminding pilots to take care when manually entering co-ordinates into aircraft systems. The airline is also looking at revising training to highlight the benefits of declaring an emergency under certain circumstances.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation originally set a March 2008 deadline for international pilots to reach a required minimum level of proficiency in the English language. Poland's civil aviation authority, says the AAIB, is due to specify a compliance date. ICAO is seeking full implementation by March 2011.
Source: Flight International
