Human error blamed for Allied cargo crash
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has been urged to build a bar at the end of the runway of the Kotoka International Airport to prevent landing planes from going beyond its course.
The Accident Investigation Committee set up to probe the crash of an Allied Air Cargo plane, which has Captain Alec Grant Sam, former Managing Director of Ghana Airways Limited as its Chairman, said such a bar would serve as a barrier to prevent future accidents, as happened to the cargo plane in June last year.
Presenting the final report on the Aircraft accident to the Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, on Wednesday, Captain Sam said the major cause of the accident was due to human factor.
The findings were delayed due to consultations with the aircraft’s manufacturer, Boeing and the Nigerian aviation authorities.
In a preliminary draft report presented in September 2012, the Accident Investigation Team indicated an unstable approach, leading to the runway overrun. It said the black box recovered was flown to the US to obtain data, and that assisted in the determination of the causes of the accident.
Captain Sam explained that the findings revealed that the Boeing 727 aircraft, owned by a Nigerian company and registered in Nigeria with a Nigerian crew, which arrived in Ghana on a rainy day, landed beyond the accepted ground level of 1,000 feet, into 4,000 feet at the end of the runway.
He noted that a copy of the full details of the 85-page report would be presented to the Nigerian Minister of Aviation.
He said insurance officers were also working on the insurances of the 10 people who died in the crash to be paid to relatives of the deceased.
On the night of June 2, the Allied Air Boeing 727-200 (DHV 111) aircraft overshot the runway at the Kotoka International Airport on landing, destroying the Instrument Landing System Localiser Bars, and broke through the airport perimeter wall killing nine persons in a bus and one on a motorbike.
The committee was tasked to establish the cause of the accident, determine the extent of fatalities and injuries, losses or damage to property as well as other relevant issues concerning the incident and to make recommendations to forestall future occurrences.
Mrs Attivor thanked the Committee for a thorough job done and said the Ministry together with the GCAA would study the report and then consult the Attorney Generals department for further action.
Source: GNA