Pilot error was the main cause of the fatal crash of a One-Two-Go passenger aircraft in Phuket in 2007, Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has found in its final investigation report.
The Boeing MD-82, which was operated by the privately owned Thai carrier, crashed at Phuket airport on 16 September 2007 while trying to land in bad weather, killing 90 of the 123 people on board.
The department, which delayed releasing the report for several months, says on its website that the investigations revealed several probable reasons.
One possible mistake by the pilot and co-pilot, who both died in the crash, was a failure to follow the standard procedure to initiate a go-around after an aborted landing. A lack of co-ordination between them and inadequate reaction to the sudden change in weather could also have contributed, added the report.
Fatigue was brought up as another possible issue, with the report saying that airline failed to properly manage its crew's workload. As a result, the stress and tiredness that had accumulated due to insufficient rest could have affected the pilots' judgement, it says.
The investigators recommended that One-Two-Go, a subsidiary of Orient Thai Airlines, intensify flight and emergency training for its pilots and adjust schedules so that pilots and cabin crew get adequate rest. It also urged the airline upgrade safety management and encourage personnel to report irregularities.
Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation grounded the carrier in July 2008 over safety concerns, but since then the airline has retrained its pilots and taken other measures to appease the agency. It resumed operations in December.
In April, the European Commission added it to a blacklist of airlines banned from flying to the European Union for safety reasons.
Source: Flight International
