Watching the events of an airplane crash a day later on television from half a world away is one thing. Watching it unfold as it was happening is quite another. I live ten minutes from this airport, and the day it happened, I was home, having my Thai girlfriend "translate" what was going on in the television reports. Amazing how the story changed every five minutes; at first, the plane had crashed into a mountain top. As my Thai company owns a bunch of land on the mountaintop next to the airport, well, I knew the area well. But eventually, the story that came out, and that was eventually reported to the worldwide press, was, well, not exactly what we think happened....
We know the airline well. Budget doesn't describe it. I've heard stories from people in the know about the abuses, the overwork, the less experienced pilots, the poor pay, etc, etc. In fact, the pilot that was on this plane was the senior training pilot for the airlines. He had about 14000 hours in the air; just enough, for any major airline, to put one in the first officer's seat. In this airline, he was the chief captain, in charge of training.
Scary, to say the least.
They hire a lot of Indonesian pilots; who, also tend to be Muslim. Read the following email, as there is a comment in it which is downright frightening. The Indonesian pilots are not as good as any of the others, but they work for less money.
I've been told that this pilot, tended to fall asleep at the wheel, so to speak, quite often. Also, he had been flying for the previous fifteen hours, and for the previous thirty before that, had been on "standby". Obviously, he was exhausted. It's quite common for this airline to completely ignore the normal hourly limits that pilots and crew have to adhere by. We also know that this pilot had his license temporarily revoked, for health reasons, apparently for about two months. The cause of the temporary revokation appeared to be exhaustion, but no one knows for sure. The airline has an awful technical support and maintenance service, as I've been told.
Well, from looking at the crash site, as we have seen it here, we have different theories as to what has been reported, as to the reason to this crash. But first, an email from one pilot from this airline, to another, about the captain that died on the flight.
We know the airline well. Budget doesn't describe it. I've heard stories from people in the know about the abuses, the overwork, the less experienced pilots, the poor pay, etc, etc. In fact, the pilot that was on this plane was the senior training pilot for the airlines. He had about 14000 hours in the air; just enough, for any major airline, to put one in the first officer's seat. In this airline, he was the chief captain, in charge of training.
Scary, to say the least.
They hire a lot of Indonesian pilots; who, also tend to be Muslim. Read the following email, as there is a comment in it which is downright frightening. The Indonesian pilots are not as good as any of the others, but they work for less money.
I've been told that this pilot, tended to fall asleep at the wheel, so to speak, quite often. Also, he had been flying for the previous fifteen hours, and for the previous thirty before that, had been on "standby". Obviously, he was exhausted. It's quite common for this airline to completely ignore the normal hourly limits that pilots and crew have to adhere by. We also know that this pilot had his license temporarily revoked, for health reasons, apparently for about two months. The cause of the temporary revokation appeared to be exhaustion, but no one knows for sure. The airline has an awful technical support and maintenance service, as I've been told.
Well, from looking at the crash site, as we have seen it here, we have different theories as to what has been reported, as to the reason to this crash. But first, an email from one pilot from this airline, to another, about the captain that died on the flight.
Hi Glyn
Thank you for the note. Yes am ok, but when all the facts come out, like
most crashes it will be found it was totally unnecessary but was destined to happen.
The captain was an Indonesian who was the chief pilot. I had almost
brought him to a physical altercation on severa l occasions with my taunting of him. I was highly critical of him for allowing and promoting the incredible abuse of duty and flight time limitations. (1300 to 1500 hours flying calendar year 2006) Guys flying 130 hours per month. Work schedules of 9 straight days and sometimes more. I would go up to him and ask him to sign a document (blank sheet of paper) saying company asked me to fly illegally again. I told them I would as soon as he would sign the papers allowing it. It drove him nuts. I kept doing it.
The man had failed his medical recently and was grounded for two months. He must have suffered from low blood sugar because all my First Officers would complain or laugh that he would always fall asleep in the aftern oon flights. Apparently he recognized this and asked to be scheduled for early morning flights. The crash occurred at 3:40 pm.
The flight controls had to be taken from him on at least two occasions.
One highly documented case occurred with the prime minister of Afghanistan on board. A safety pilot had observed his incompetence, reported the incident to company and he was removed from all subsequent flights with the prime minister.
I laugh at my fellow Indonesian pilots. Of course they come to his
defense in this crash with the words that "it was an act of God". Maybe they are right.... God says you want to be a dumb shit, you deserve to die.
Glyn... he killed 3 very close friends of mine and I will never forgive
him and I am not sure I can forgive myself. My only real purpose here was to teach the new Thai F/O s how to save their lives from people like Arief. Of the new Thai First Officers, Montri was the best. [Montri died in this crash] In fact Montri had just been hired by Thai Airlines with a class date in October. Montri had been particularly emotionally abused by this company. They did not really receive good instruction coming out of the simulators. He sat for two months before he did his
bounces in the plane and he failed the first time. The company took 20,000 baht each month out of his paycheck to pay the costs incurred for a second set of bounces in the plane.
Glyn, I could go on and on with the terrible abuses that go on here. Me,
I was and am physically and emotionally spent. I live everyday not knowing if the next day I will be fired. I have been told I am special here. I do not work illegally or knowingly fly unsafe airplanes. Working with the new pilots have been fun and gratifying. I share stories and lessons I learned from you. For me you re enforced cockpit discipline and attention to detail that I still carry with me. Many times
when I go to the MEL, my thoughts go to you and how you illustrated the importance to refer to it every single time regardless. I thank you and others for what you have taught me. I have no doubt that the mental preparation and discipline that you and &g t;others illustrated to me and I learned from has saved my own life. I thank you so very much.
Sorry for writing so much. Last night was long and these are the first
moments I have had to myself. Much crying and pain here. Cabin crewmembers besides themselves,pleading me to go and bring their crewmembers back. It is a very helpless feeling.Everyone here knows my feelings and that which I have been expressing for two years.
1 week ago I had been interviewed by two representatives from ICAO and had expressed to them that all of the ingredients for a disaster here had manifested itself. Yet I and nobody could do a stupid thing to stop it. Not sure what I will do from here & gt;Glyn, but I will always feel that I failed.... again.
Thank you for the note. Yes am ok, but when all the facts come out, like
most crashes it will be found it was totally unnecessary but was destined to happen.
The captain was an Indonesian who was the chief pilot. I had almost
brought him to a physical altercation on severa l occasions with my taunting of him. I was highly critical of him for allowing and promoting the incredible abuse of duty and flight time limitations. (1300 to 1500 hours flying calendar year 2006) Guys flying 130 hours per month. Work schedules of 9 straight days and sometimes more. I would go up to him and ask him to sign a document (blank sheet of paper) saying company asked me to fly illegally again. I told them I would as soon as he would sign the papers allowing it. It drove him nuts. I kept doing it.
The man had failed his medical recently and was grounded for two months. He must have suffered from low blood sugar because all my First Officers would complain or laugh that he would always fall asleep in the aftern oon flights. Apparently he recognized this and asked to be scheduled for early morning flights. The crash occurred at 3:40 pm.
The flight controls had to be taken from him on at least two occasions.
One highly documented case occurred with the prime minister of Afghanistan on board. A safety pilot had observed his incompetence, reported the incident to company and he was removed from all subsequent flights with the prime minister.
I laugh at my fellow Indonesian pilots. Of course they come to his
defense in this crash with the words that "it was an act of God". Maybe they are right.... God says you want to be a dumb shit, you deserve to die.
Glyn... he killed 3 very close friends of mine and I will never forgive
him and I am not sure I can forgive myself. My only real purpose here was to teach the new Thai F/O s how to save their lives from people like Arief. Of the new Thai First Officers, Montri was the best. [Montri died in this crash] In fact Montri had just been hired by Thai Airlines with a class date in October. Montri had been particularly emotionally abused by this company. They did not really receive good instruction coming out of the simulators. He sat for two months before he did his
bounces in the plane and he failed the first time. The company took 20,000 baht each month out of his paycheck to pay the costs incurred for a second set of bounces in the plane.
Glyn, I could go on and on with the terrible abuses that go on here. Me,
I was and am physically and emotionally spent. I live everyday not knowing if the next day I will be fired. I have been told I am special here. I do not work illegally or knowingly fly unsafe airplanes. Working with the new pilots have been fun and gratifying. I share stories and lessons I learned from you. For me you re enforced cockpit discipline and attention to detail that I still carry with me. Many times
when I go to the MEL, my thoughts go to you and how you illustrated the importance to refer to it every single time regardless. I thank you and others for what you have taught me. I have no doubt that the mental preparation and discipline that you and &g t;others illustrated to me and I learned from has saved my own life. I thank you so very much.
Sorry for writing so much. Last night was long and these are the first
moments I have had to myself. Much crying and pain here. Cabin crewmembers besides themselves,pleading me to go and bring their crewmembers back. It is a very helpless feeling.Everyone here knows my feelings and that which I have been expressing for two years.
1 week ago I had been interviewed by two representatives from ICAO and had expressed to them that all of the ingredients for a disaster here had manifested itself. Yet I and nobody could do a stupid thing to stop it. Not sure what I will do from here & gt;Glyn, but I will always feel that I failed.... again.
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