This article is from page 21 of the 2013-08-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 21 JPG
PILOT inexperience has been identified as one of the possible causes of a plane crash which took place at Shannon Airport in 2011.
According to investigators at the Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), excessive speed as well as pilot inexperience caused a major issue aboard an Aer Arann flight.
There were 21 passengers and four crew on board the Aer Arann Manchester to Shannon service when its nose wheel collapsed, controls jammed and it left the runway on July 17, 2011.
Nobody on board was seriously injured in the incident, which resulted in the plane scraping along the ground for 1,200 metres before coming to a stop on a grass verge.
According to one witnesses, smoke or steam could be seen billowing from the front of the 17-year-old aircraft while its left propeller crashed through and demolished a sign on the runway.
The aircraft was so badly damaged that it has been taken out of service and has not been repaired.
In its report, the AAIU states the plane approached the runway on two occasions in excess of the recommended speeds.
The then newly-promoted pilot was a “relatively inexperienced” captain according to the report, and had little experience handling the aircraft in difficult conditions.
Investigators said this inexperience was a contributory factor in the accident, along with inadequate information being provided to both her and her co-pilot about landing in crosswinds.
The likely cause of the incident was excessive speed and inadequate control of the aircraft during the blustery conditions, it was found.
The AAIU has ordered Aer Arann to review its training of pilots in landing aircraft in crosswinds as a result.