Cronje's fatal flight of errors

2004-05-07 22:20

Jan Taljaard

George - A 29-year-old faulty instrument-landing system at George Airport is only one of the factors in a chain of events that led to Hansie Cronje's death.

It is internationally accepted practice to replace the ILS instruments every 10 years.

The two ILS instruments at the airport were replaced last year.

The board of investigation into the accident also recommended that a guided radar system be installed at the airport.

However, the faulty ILS was only the first link in a chain of events that eventually ended in the death of pilots Willie Mayer, 69, Ian Noakes, 50, and disgraced former SA cricket captain Cronjé.

The pilots decided to trust the ILS, even though there was no signal confirming the instruments were working.

A few minutes later, their fate was sealed by a series of factors for which they hadn't bargained.

Apparently ignored an alarm

They deviated from prescribed procedures when they initially couldn't land and a stronger wind than expected pushed the Hawker Siddeley plane towards the Outeniqua Mountains, the weather was bad and the pilots apparently ignored an alarm that signified they were losing altitude.

For some reason, the pilots didn't use the plane's advanced global positioning system (GPS), which would have shown their exact position on a map.

The Civil Aviation Authority investigating team found the plane wasn't technically airworthy, as some of the navigation instruments were faulty.

At the time of the crash, the faulty ILS instruments at George Airport had been earmarked for replacement, but were still working according to prescribed regulations, albeit "intermittently".

George Airport management and headquarters of the Airport Company of South Africa (Acsa) didn't want to comment on Friday on recommendations by the investigating team. They insisted George Airport was 100% safe.

Airport manager Jenny Bekker said it should be kept in mind that the airport was officially closed at the time of the accident.

Scheduled flights only when tower is manned

The flight control tower was unmanned at the time, which flight crews were aware of.

Bekker also said the investigating team had found that both ILS instruments at the airport were properly calibrated and maintained.

Scheduled passenger flights to and from the airport took place only when the control tower was manned.

Acsa communications chief Solomon Makgale said his company was studying the findings and recommendations of the report and would react on it "in good time".

Bertha, Cronje's widow, didn't want to comment on the report.

- Die Burger