Mangalore crash caused by pilot fatigue

New Delhi: Was the plane crash in Mangalore, which left 158 dead, caused by pilot fatigue' A day after the incident, Air India pilots suspect the crash took place due to fatigue related human error.
The country's worst air crash in a decade took place when the Air India Express Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Dubai to Mangalore overshot its landing and plunged down an embankment at the end of the runway.
Though it's still not clear what led to the British pilot flying the plane misjudging his landing so badly, a section of senior pilots, including the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), are already blaming pilot fatigue for being responsible for the major accident. 'Pilots on duty on short haul international flights like the one from Dubai hardly get proper rest. They have to fly back to India after two to three-hours break, which causes fatigue over a period of time which in turn affects alertness and decision making at crucial times,' said a senior Air India pilot.
Though it's still not clear what led to the British pilot flying the plane misjudging his landing so badly, a section of senior pilots, including the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA), are already blaming pilot fatigue for being responsible for the major accident. 'Pilots on duty on short haul international flights like the one from Dubai hardly get proper rest. They have to fly back to India after two to three-hours break, which causes fatigue over a period of time which in turn affects alertness and decision making at crucial times,' said a senior Air India pilot.
A senior official of the airline said while long-haul flights get double set of crew, pilots managing the short-haul flights hardly get the required rest in between the duty hours.
Following the Mangalore crash, in a letter to the Prime Minister, the ICPA ~ an association of Air India pilots ~ has pointed out that up to 78 per cent of crashes were caused by fatigue-related human error.
24/05/10 The Statesman/Asia One News

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Categories: Air India Budget May 2010, Airports May 2010, NACIL May 2010, Safety May 2010