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Airlines defends pilot's decision to take off in storm |
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November 2, 2000
TAIPEI (AP) - Singapore Air defended its pilot's decision to take off in heavy wind and rain, saying Wednesday he did not endanger the lives of the 179 people aboard the jumbo jet that burst into flames on the runway, killing 79 people. Early speculation pointed to gusting winds as a possible factor in the Los Angeles-bound Boeing 747-400's accident in Taiwan late Tuesday, but the airline and Taiwanese aviation officials said the veteran pilot wasn't reckless for deciding to fly. "He wouldn't be allowed to take off if the weather conditions were very bad," airline spokesman Rick Clements told reporters in Singapore. Clements noted that other planes were taking off. Taiwanese civil aviation official Billy K.C. Chang said that wind speeds and visibility levels did not exceed the maximum limits for closing Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. The accident was the first major one for Singapore Airlines in 28 years of operation. As emergency workers pulled bodies from the charred, blue-and-tan wreckage of the airliner, investigators searched for a mystery object that passengers and the plane's pilot, Capt. C.K. Foong, said Flight SQ006 hit before catching fire and breaking into three pieces. The pilot "saw an object on the runway and he tried to take off to avoid the object, and he hit the object," said Clements, who wouldn't say what the plane might have struck. Chou Kuang-tsan of the Aviation Safety Council, which investigates Taiwanese air accidents, noted the plane apparently swerved off its runway and onto a spare runway, which was under repair. Chou said it was not clear why the plane veered off the runway. "We still can't rule out any possibilities," Chou told reporters. Local TV stations suggested the pilot might have tried to take off from the wrong runway and slammed into construction equipment near the strip. TV reports showed a damaged crane near the accident site. Others speculated that strong winds blew construction debris into the path of the plane. Chang, the Taiwanese civil aviation official, said he did not believe the plane plowed into the equipment and caught fire. The airline said there was no evidence that the plane was using the wrong runway. Clements said that the plan's debris flew across the two adjacent runways upon impact and that that might have led to speculation about plane being on wrong runway. Seventy-nine people died in the accident, while 56 were hospitalized and 44 suffered minor or no injuries, Chang said. The passenger list included 47 U.S. citizens and 55 Taiwanese, Clements said. A flight will leave Thursday from Los Angeles to take U.S. relatives to Taiwan, he said. Singapore Airlines would provide all families of victims with U.S. dlrs 25,000 immediate compensation, Clements said. Speaking in Singapore, the airline's chairman, Michael Fam, said, "We wish to express our sincere regret to all concerned. This is a tragic day for all of us." The scene was frantic at Chang Gung hospital near the airport, where emergency room workers gently lifted injured people from ambulances. Some appeared to be burned. They lay on stretchers with their arms stretched stiffly in front of their torsos. Y.K. Soong, the hospital's vice superintendent, said, "Most of the survivors were seated in the plane's upperdeck because when the plane tried to go up, bang it broke into three pieces." Deborah Brosnan, 43, of Ireland, was on her way to becoming an American citizen. "It felt like we hit something twice and I was pushed out of my seat," she said. "I was wearing a seat belt and then I saw flames above me." In Singapore, officials set up a crisis management center at Changi airport. A handful of relatives, some in tears, were led to the cordoned-off area by crisis workers. In Washington, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to help Taiwan authorities probe the disaster. The eight-member NTSB team was expected to arrive in Taiwan on Thursday evening. Singapore Airlines, the South Asian city-state's flagship carrier, is one of the world's most profitable airlines and has one of the industry's best safety records. It has been flying for 28 years and had never crashed. The national carrier enjoys a young fleet of modern aircraft. It flies to more than 40 countries and, with its traditionally dressed stewardesses and free amenities, is consistently voted the most favored airline of business travelers. The plane that burst into flames Tuesday was bought new in January 1997, airline spokesman James Boyd said in Los Angeles. He said there had been no problems with the aircraft, which underwent its last maintenance check on Sept. 16. --- On the Net: http://www.singaporeair.com
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