Pilot caused garang crash
THE final report on the plane crash that killed Sudanese Vice-President Lt. Gen. John Garang has pinned the pilot. Releasing the report at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, communications minister John Nasasira said the Government would further investigate the actions of the pilot.
By Milton Olupot
THE final report on the plane crash that killed Sudanese Vice-President Lt. Gen. John Garang has pinned the pilot.
Releasing the report at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, communications minister John Nasasira said the Government would further investigate the actions of the pilot.
A joint team from Sudan and Uganda carried out the investigation into the July 30, 2005 MI-172 helicoptercrash which killed Garang and 12 others.
Nasasira led the Uganda team while former Sudanese Vice-President Abel Alier Kuai led the Sudan team.
Ministers Ruhakana Rugunda and Beatrice Wabudeya and former Army Commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini comprised the Uganda team.
The report, issued simultaneously in Sudan and Uganda yesterday, said the flight AF 602 accident was partly caused by inadequacies in operational systems.
The report identified the probable causes of the crash as, “The captain’s failure to maintain horizontal and vertical situational awareness of the helicopter’s proximity to the surrounding terrain, resulting in inadequate clearance and controlled flight into terrain.
It also cited the “captain’s decision to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather conditions and the inadequacies in operational systems.â€
The Uganda probe team, and a US expert Dennis Jones of the US National Transport Safety Board who was in charge of the investigation, flanked Nasasira.
Nasasira said the Ugandan team would continue with internal inquiries on why Lt. Col. Peter Nyakairu decided to fly at 5,500ft above sea level and yet the Zulia Mountain ranges on his flight path which were clearly marked on their map showed higher altitude of over 6,000ft and when the co-pilot had flown that destination twice before.
It will also probe why the captain opted to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather conditions and yet he was trained to fly in bad weather using instruments.
He said the internal inquiries would be a follow-up to avoid such accidents in future. He said on conclusion of internal inquiry the report would be handed over to President Yoweri Museveni.
Other Ugandans who died in the crash were Captains Patrick Kiggundu and Paul Kiyemba, Lt. Johnson Munanura, Ms. Lillian Kabeije, Samuel Bakowa and Cpl. Hassan Kizza.
The helicopter, flying from Entebbe to New Site in Sudan, had three flight crew members, one cabin attendant and nine passengers on board. It crashed in the Zulia Mountains, 11 miles from the border on the Uganda side.
The report said it was destroyed by impact force and a post-crash fire killing all the 13 persons on board.
A team of experts from USA, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda was appointed by the Joint Uganda-Sudan investigation commission headed by Dennis Jones as the investigator-in-charge.
A joint memorandum of understanding was signed on joint utilisation of the expertise in conducting the investigations, referring the recorders to Russia for read-out and formation of special teams to perform specific tasks.
The team visited the crash site, analysed the flight data record/cockpit voice recorder in Uganda, Russia and the US, interviewed key UPDF sources, and Civil Aviation Authority, JSC Kazan helicopters (The manufacturers of the helicopter) and witnesses at the crash site.
Some components were sent for advanced laboratory tests in the US and the team visited the Russian federation Interstate Aviation Committee. The committee completed its work on April 3 2006 and handed it over to the investigation committee.
Nasasira yesterday said Sudan endorsed the report with no comments while Uganda agreed on the contents of the report but made comments.
Nasasira concluded that the principle objective of the investigation was to establish the cause of the accident and institute measures for preventing similar ones in future. “This report will be given similar treatment.
“With the adoption of this report and the signing of this joint statement the joint Sudan-Uganda Commission has concluded its work,†he said.
THE final report on the plane crash that killed Sudanese Vice-President Lt. Gen. John Garang has pinned the pilot.
Releasing the report at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, communications minister John Nasasira said the Government would further investigate the actions of the pilot.
A joint team from Sudan and Uganda carried out the investigation into the July 30, 2005 MI-172 helicoptercrash which killed Garang and 12 others.
Nasasira led the Uganda team while former Sudanese Vice-President Abel Alier Kuai led the Sudan team.
Ministers Ruhakana Rugunda and Beatrice Wabudeya and former Army Commander Maj. Gen. James Kazini comprised the Uganda team.
The report, issued simultaneously in Sudan and Uganda yesterday, said the flight AF 602 accident was partly caused by inadequacies in operational systems.
The report identified the probable causes of the crash as, “The captain’s failure to maintain horizontal and vertical situational awareness of the helicopter’s proximity to the surrounding terrain, resulting in inadequate clearance and controlled flight into terrain.
It also cited the “captain’s decision to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather conditions and the inadequacies in operational systems.â€
The Uganda probe team, and a US expert Dennis Jones of the US National Transport Safety Board who was in charge of the investigation, flanked Nasasira.
Nasasira said the Ugandan team would continue with internal inquiries on why Lt. Col. Peter Nyakairu decided to fly at 5,500ft above sea level and yet the Zulia Mountain ranges on his flight path which were clearly marked on their map showed higher altitude of over 6,000ft and when the co-pilot had flown that destination twice before.
It will also probe why the captain opted to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather conditions and yet he was trained to fly in bad weather using instruments.
He said the internal inquiries would be a follow-up to avoid such accidents in future. He said on conclusion of internal inquiry the report would be handed over to President Yoweri Museveni.
Other Ugandans who died in the crash were Captains Patrick Kiggundu and Paul Kiyemba, Lt. Johnson Munanura, Ms. Lillian Kabeije, Samuel Bakowa and Cpl. Hassan Kizza.
The helicopter, flying from Entebbe to New Site in Sudan, had three flight crew members, one cabin attendant and nine passengers on board. It crashed in the Zulia Mountains, 11 miles from the border on the Uganda side.
The report said it was destroyed by impact force and a post-crash fire killing all the 13 persons on board.
A team of experts from USA, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda was appointed by the Joint Uganda-Sudan investigation commission headed by Dennis Jones as the investigator-in-charge.
A joint memorandum of understanding was signed on joint utilisation of the expertise in conducting the investigations, referring the recorders to Russia for read-out and formation of special teams to perform specific tasks.
The team visited the crash site, analysed the flight data record/cockpit voice recorder in Uganda, Russia and the US, interviewed key UPDF sources, and Civil Aviation Authority, JSC Kazan helicopters (The manufacturers of the helicopter) and witnesses at the crash site.
Some components were sent for advanced laboratory tests in the US and the team visited the Russian federation Interstate Aviation Committee. The committee completed its work on April 3 2006 and handed it over to the investigation committee.
Nasasira yesterday said Sudan endorsed the report with no comments while Uganda agreed on the contents of the report but made comments.
Nasasira concluded that the principle objective of the investigation was to establish the cause of the accident and institute measures for preventing similar ones in future. “This report will be given similar treatment.
“With the adoption of this report and the signing of this joint statement the joint Sudan-Uganda Commission has concluded its work,†he said.