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Freight Dawgs Rule
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N.S. crash likely due to throttle setting
By CP
HALIFAX -- A cargo jet crash in Nova Scotia that claimed the lives of all seven people aboard was probably caused by an improper throttle setting made by a member of the crew, says a flight safety investigator. "We have not found anything technically or mechanically that we see would have contributed," said Bill Fowler, the lead investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
"That leaves us with, 'How this situation could have taken place with this crew?' "
Fowler's comments came yesterday after he attended a sombre memorial service in Dartmouth, N.S., and then spent hours briefing visiting families of the dead airmen of the MK Airlines Ltd. flight.
The Boeing 747 jet crashed on takeoff at Halifax International Airport on Oct. 14 in a spectacular fireball. The investigation has been underway for just over two months, examining factors ranging from the weight of the aircraft to two recently changed engines.
At least one widow made clear during her visit to Halifax this week that she expects Fowler will look at the working conditions the pilots were flying under, and check to see if they had enough rest.
"If they look at human error as a possibility, then the next question will be, 'Why was it human error?' It was a very, very experienced crew. It was one of the most experienced crews that worked for MK. You just don't make mistakes like that," said Joanne Buckley-Lamb, the widow of David Lamb, a pilot on the flight.
Fowler said it was too early to come to any conclusions on whether fatigue may have been a factor.
Fowler said the focus is now on the incorrectly set throttle. The setting, which is done by hand, was too low to deliver the power needed for the 350,700-kg cargo plane to lift off, he said.
"The power wasn't set properly," said Fowler.
The crew was using a system known as "heavy crewing," where one crew flies the aircraft while the other rests on board.
Families were flown to Halifax this week to attend several services for the seven crew members, all of whom lived in either Zimbabwe and South Africa.
About 30 people gathered for a ceremony that included taking home a small rock as a remembrance of the crash site.
By CP
HALIFAX -- A cargo jet crash in Nova Scotia that claimed the lives of all seven people aboard was probably caused by an improper throttle setting made by a member of the crew, says a flight safety investigator. "We have not found anything technically or mechanically that we see would have contributed," said Bill Fowler, the lead investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
"That leaves us with, 'How this situation could have taken place with this crew?' "
Fowler's comments came yesterday after he attended a sombre memorial service in Dartmouth, N.S., and then spent hours briefing visiting families of the dead airmen of the MK Airlines Ltd. flight.
The Boeing 747 jet crashed on takeoff at Halifax International Airport on Oct. 14 in a spectacular fireball. The investigation has been underway for just over two months, examining factors ranging from the weight of the aircraft to two recently changed engines.
At least one widow made clear during her visit to Halifax this week that she expects Fowler will look at the working conditions the pilots were flying under, and check to see if they had enough rest.
"If they look at human error as a possibility, then the next question will be, 'Why was it human error?' It was a very, very experienced crew. It was one of the most experienced crews that worked for MK. You just don't make mistakes like that," said Joanne Buckley-Lamb, the widow of David Lamb, a pilot on the flight.
Fowler said it was too early to come to any conclusions on whether fatigue may have been a factor.
Fowler said the focus is now on the incorrectly set throttle. The setting, which is done by hand, was too low to deliver the power needed for the 350,700-kg cargo plane to lift off, he said.
"The power wasn't set properly," said Fowler.
The crew was using a system known as "heavy crewing," where one crew flies the aircraft while the other rests on board.
Families were flown to Halifax this week to attend several services for the seven crew members, all of whom lived in either Zimbabwe and South Africa.
About 30 people gathered for a ceremony that included taking home a small rock as a remembrance of the crash site.
