‘Pilot error’ blamed for crash

"Pilot error."

This was the initial finding on why Laoag International Airlines (LIA) Flight 585 crashed Monday in Manila Bay, killing 19 of its 34 passengers and crew minutes after taking off from the Manila Domestic Airport, The STAR learned yesterday.

Sources from the fact-finding team looking into the accident confirmed what a representative of the Rolls-Royce of Britain, ma-nufacturer of Fokker engines, said was the probable cause of the air tragedy.

Chris Devall, a representative of Rolls-Royce who was sent to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash, was reportedly shocked after watching vi-deo footage showing the plane’s two engines suddenly conking out.

Devall was quoted as saying, "It would be impossible for two engines of an aircraft to stall at the same time, unless the pilot forgot to switch on the sump tank" or the fuel collector tank.

The sump tank collects the fuel from the main fuel tanks to the engine. If not switched on, the said tank could only provide fuel to fly the plane for at most 10 minutes.

This was the reason, according to sources from the fact-finding team which supports the findings of Devall, why the two engines of the ill-fated turbo-prop Fokker 27 conked out simultaneously.

The five-man probe body, headed by Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Arturo Valdez, transmitted its initial findings to President Arroyo yesterday.

The President was said to have been taken by surprise wondering why a basic standard operating procedure was not followed.

"Capt. Bernie Crisostomo (the pilot) must have forgotten to switch on the Sump Tank," a member of the fact-finding team told The STAR.

Among the members of the fact-finding team are Capt. Amado Soliman, retired Brig Gen. Tereso Isleta, Lt. Col. Roy Devenatura of the Philippine Air Force and lawyer Deo Deocampo of the Department of Transporation and Communications (DOTC) legal department.

As this developed, DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza ordered the suspension of the separate probe by the Air Transportation Office (ATO) into the crash.

Mendoza also directed ATO chief Adelberto Yap to transfer all evidence and submit their findings to the fact-finding committee which will take over the investigation.

He said they will include ATO in the investigation to determine the culpability of its officials.

The fact-finding team is also expected to come up with the results of their investigation on Nov. 30, Mendoza said.

After five days of frantic search, Coast Guard divers finally retrieved the tail end of the ill-fated aircraft which contained the black box.

Coast Guard chief Vice Adm. Reuben Lista said the tail section of the aircraft was found partially buried in mud, about 350 meters southwest from where the fuselage was retrieved, roughly a kilometer off Manila Bay’s coastline.

Lista said their efforts paid off after calculating the possible whereabouts of the plane’s tail end, taking into account the speed of the aircraft, the prevailing tide and current conditions of Manila Bay at the time of the crash.

He said the recovery of the tail end of the plane wrapped up the five-day retrieval operation by the Coast Guard.

"Our mission is now 100 percent complete. We can now enjoy our weekend," Lista said.

Shortly after the tail end of the plane was hauled from a depth of 60 feet, divers lost no time in retrieving the black box from the inside before placing it in a white ice box on its way to Coast Guard headquarters.

ATO officials then took over by immediately loading the device into a waiting pickup truck to the ATO office.

Devall said the retrieved black box "is in good condition."

The so-called black box contains the bright orange-colored flight data recorders which would provide information on the condition of the aircraft and recorded conversations of the pilot and crew with the control tower.

Devall explained the flight data recorders are located at the tail end of the aircraft to protect them from impact.

Yap, for his part, said the flight data recorders will be turned over to Rolls Royce to decode the information.

"They (recorders) will be brought to UK (Britain) for transcription. We do not have the facility for their transcription," he said.

Aviation officials earlier said that even after the data recorders are recovered, it will take some weeks before the information is decoded by a company overseas.

Devall has also admitted the results of their investigation will be known "only after a few months."

Mendoza, however, expressed confidence they would find the cause of the crash, adding that both pilots survived to give their accounts and that the rest of the plane had earlier been recovered from the waters of Manila Bay.

"The black box (flight data recorder) will give us the final say of the investigation we are conducting," he said.

As the investigations into Monday’s air tragedy continue, Senate President Franklin Drilon said he will file a bill to amend the charter of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), revoking its authority to issue temporary permits to domestic air transport operators.

Drilon explained that under the CAB charter, the agency has the authority to issue Temporary Operating Permit (TOP) or Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) even before a legislative franchise is granted by Congress.

"It is revealed that the Laoag International Airlines has been issued a Certificate of Authority to Operate (COA) for five years even before it was granted a franchise by Congress," he said.

Reports said CAB granted the certificate to operate to LIA from Sept. 7, 1995 to Sept. 7, 2000 under Republic Act 9103.

RA 9103 grants LIA a franchise to establish, operate and maintain domestic and international air transport services.

"The authority of CAB to issue a permit to operate or certificate of public convenience defeats the purpose of letting Congress thoroughly check the capability of an air transport operator," Drilon said.

"Indeed, it is presumed that CAB has the technical capabilities to assure the ability of an airline to operate but, as it involves public safety and welfare, Congress has to have the last say as to which airline is worthy of operating for the public," he added.

Lawmakers earlier threatened LIA may lose its congressional franchise on possible violations.

Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III earlier claimed LIA was already operating by virtue of an executive order issued by then President Fidel Ramos even before it received a congressional franchise in 2001.

Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Sergio Osmeña also expressed their concern on how LIA was able to operate an air service without a congressional franchise as required by law. - With reports from Sheila Crisostomo, Jose Aravilla, Nestor Etolle, Sammy Santos, AFP