newswatcher
19th Aug 2002, 13:31
From the BBC(18/8):
Text of report in English by Swiss Radio International's Swissinfo web site on 18 August
"The crash of a Crossair aircraft in January 2000 near Zurich was due a series of pilot errors according to a soon-to-be-issued report. Investigators also found that the pilot was also flying under the influence of medication.
"The pilot's capacity to analyse and judge a critical situation was diminished by the effects of a medication," said the report from Switzerland's Aircraft accident investigation bureau. Two Sunday papers, the Sonntagsblick and dimanche.ch, published parts of the still-confidential report.
The Moldavian pilot had taken Phenocepan, a tranquilliser made in Ukraine, and commonly used to treat insomnia or depression. This medication, which is a relative of Valium, can induce blurred vision, confusion and vertigo.
The report refuses however to say to what extent the tranquilliser affected the pilot's capabilities. Under safety guidelines, pilots are not supposed to fly when taking such medication.
The investigators believe the pilot may have lost his sense of direction, suffering from spatial disorientation, and flipped the plane onto its back without realizing it.
He then proceeded to turn the aircraft right instead of left, driving the Saab into the ground near the village of Nassenwil shortly after taking off from Zurich's Kloten airport for Dresden.
The copilot is also believed to have mis-programmed the flight management system of the Crossair aircraft, a turboprop Saab 340.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry has confirmed the newspaper reports, but refused to comment the investigators' findings. The ministry will present the findings on Friday [23 August].
Both the pilot and the copilot were from Eastern Europe, hired at a time when Crossair, which now forms the backbone of Swiss, was suffering from a personnel shortage. The investigator's report says the airline did not inform its new pilots sufficiently about the aircraft systems and cockpit procedures.
The crash killed seven passengers and three crew members. The findings were expected at the end of last year, but the crash of another Crossair plane in November has delayed their release."
Text of report in English by Swiss Radio International's Swissinfo web site on 18 August
"The crash of a Crossair aircraft in January 2000 near Zurich was due a series of pilot errors according to a soon-to-be-issued report. Investigators also found that the pilot was also flying under the influence of medication.
"The pilot's capacity to analyse and judge a critical situation was diminished by the effects of a medication," said the report from Switzerland's Aircraft accident investigation bureau. Two Sunday papers, the Sonntagsblick and dimanche.ch, published parts of the still-confidential report.
The Moldavian pilot had taken Phenocepan, a tranquilliser made in Ukraine, and commonly used to treat insomnia or depression. This medication, which is a relative of Valium, can induce blurred vision, confusion and vertigo.
The report refuses however to say to what extent the tranquilliser affected the pilot's capabilities. Under safety guidelines, pilots are not supposed to fly when taking such medication.
The investigators believe the pilot may have lost his sense of direction, suffering from spatial disorientation, and flipped the plane onto its back without realizing it.
He then proceeded to turn the aircraft right instead of left, driving the Saab into the ground near the village of Nassenwil shortly after taking off from Zurich's Kloten airport for Dresden.
The copilot is also believed to have mis-programmed the flight management system of the Crossair aircraft, a turboprop Saab 340.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry has confirmed the newspaper reports, but refused to comment the investigators' findings. The ministry will present the findings on Friday [23 August].
Both the pilot and the copilot were from Eastern Europe, hired at a time when Crossair, which now forms the backbone of Swiss, was suffering from a personnel shortage. The investigator's report says the airline did not inform its new pilots sufficiently about the aircraft systems and cockpit procedures.
The crash killed seven passengers and three crew members. The findings were expected at the end of last year, but the crash of another Crossair plane in November has delayed their release."