Create a new transport safety agency

In plane crashes, the usual causes are mechanical failure, pilot error or bad weather. Overlooked is the role played by air traffic controllers, who guide pilots as their aircraft take off or land. National attention is now focused on air traffic controllers after one congressman claimed yesterday that an air traffic control trainee at the Davao International Airport had guided the ill-fated Air Philippines Flight 541 as it prepared to land. The landing had to be aborted because another plane was still on the runway. Moments later, Flight 541 nose-dived, smashing into a hill on nearby Samal island.

The plane's data recorders are still being examined in the United States, and it may take weeks or even months before the cause of the Philippines' worst aviation disaster can be known. Many theories have been put forward about the crash, including pilot error or even a terrorist attack. Some witnesses claimed several explosions preceded the crash. Reports also said the Boeing 727-200 jet has a worrisome history of air crashes.

The Air Transportation Office, as mandated by law, is handling the investigation of the crash, which killed all 131 people on board. One problem here is whether the ATO will implicate itself in case its investigation shows that its air traffic controllers were at fault in Flight 541's crash. Yesterday, the three air traffic controllers who were on duty at the time of the disaster were summoned by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board. At the same time, one congressman claimed an air control trainee handled the plane's landing that was aborted.

These developments should prod the government to consider a proposal to create an independent office that will handle the investigation not only of plane crashes but also maritime disasters. You can't expect maritime authorities to admit their own culpability when a ferry sinks, especially if the accident claims 143 lives as the Annahada tragedy did over a week ago. An independent agency can be created to investigate transport accidents and propose measures to prevent similar disasters. Knowing that they can't cover their own tracks, that they will be accountable to another agency in ensuring maritime and aviation safety, may compel transport authorities to shape up.