AIR SMASHES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 298, 30 September 1935, Page 8

AIR SMASHES

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

ANALYSIS BY C. W. A. SCOTT. Recently I wrote about aircraft accident investigations. Since then there have been a further series of unfortunate accidents involving the loss of more lives, writes C. W. A. Scott from London to the “Sydney Telegraph.” ,It is very regrettable. But surely, as the result of these additional crashes, the need is greater than ever before of informing the public clearly and concisely of just what is the cause of these fatalities, and what, if any, steps are being taken to ensure against their recurrence. As the K.L.M. service is involved more particularly than any other during this last period, let one first of all offer them one’s condolences.

In the first of their crashes, at Amsterdam, the cause was the fact that the engines were not independently supplied with fuel. With the failure of the one all were affected. Obviously this had to be remedied at once, and all machines were withdrawn from service until this modification was carried out.

No company would dream of flying an aeroplane that, in their opinion, was not the best they could offer to the travelling public. But what happens is that no designer is infallible, and sometimes after production and type tests, a machine that has been operating successfully for many months produces some fault that at the beginning was neither obvious nor perceptible. Modifications are immediately carried out. These modifications after often expensive and extremely trying if they happen to be necessary during a boom period of flying. But they are immediately carried out, for in all parts of the world, “Safety” is the slogan of air transport companies.

Three Groups. I suppose accidents can be divided into three main classes structural failure, errors of judgment on the part of the pilot, and acts of God. Negligence can, in my opinion, be dismissed.

With regard to negligence, it can he readily understood that no pilot is .going to be negligent, as his own personal safety is involved as well as the safety of his passengers. Errors of judgment, are, unfortunately, not rare. I)o these, or should these, be classed as incompetency? Let us suppose that we are about to start an airline service. There is no period in the history of an airline service so important as the first few months when we are attempting to build up our prestige.

■Our first consideration after we have determined the route over which we will operate (and this will obviously include all our route organisation) will be the selection of the machines to be used. Second to this will conic the choice of the pilots to whom we entrust these selected aeroplanes. With the numbers of pilots available at the present time, are we going to employ anyone who, in our opinion, will jeopardise the good name that we hope to build up ? Ob’ iously not. Therefore, we search around and get those men who have not only good records but much experience in flying types of aircraft similar (or nearly so) to those that wo wifi, call on them to operate. We are assisted in our selection by our insurance company. It is not so widely known that pilots are classed with insurance companies. IP we employ a pilot, who is not so well thought of by an insurance company,

our premium is going to he higher in respect of our aircraft insurance. A company may even refuse to insure an aircraft, flown by a particular pilot. This is hard! on the prospective pilot, but good for its and the goodwill we hope to establish, as well as being good for the public we hope to persuade to fly along our air , route.

Safety First. Safety is at all times the keynote of om* endeavours. By act of God 3 mean certain weather conditions that occasionally bring about accidents over which we have no control. Sometimes these may be linked up with the personal error of judgment. By this I mean that there are ways and means of possible avoidance of this so-termed act of God. II weather is our gravest consideration in this accident category, it is up to us as airline operators to give such assistance to our pilot personnel as we are able by means of weather .reports and continuous wireless contact during flight. In my opinion it is not sufficient merely to have a report submitted to a pilot at bis point ofl departure and his terminal aerodrome. There should be meteorological, stations along this route.

The recent disaster to the K.L*.M. machine in the Alps was unquestionably due to the lact that the pilot of that machine got “caught out.” He found himself in a region of high contours in had weather. He is believed to have actually got below the storm level and in a pocket of mountainous country from which there was no escape. Had he been more particularly advised of local weather conditions along his route, other than the somewhat vague report that there was a possibility of storms along his path, he would, have had time to circumnavigate these patches of stormy weather, or at least to avoid some of them. He would have taken an alternative route. Structural failure is unfortunately one that is only discovered when it is too late. Modification afterwards to machines of a. similar type is the only reply to this. It must he borne in mind that airline operators are at all times doing their host to give their flying public safe and pleasant flights. Accidents do and may, for some time, still occur. There will he ultimately an almost complete elimination ot 1 these, but for

the moment civil aviation needs more money and a great deal of sympathy. Already great strides have been made. Imperial Airways have not had a serious accident during the last twelve months.

There are still many people who will not dissociate flying from crashing and sudden death and the like. They are surprised when aviation lias a bright period devoid of any accident.

Let me assure you, that everything that can be done is done to make flying safe. 1 don’t think it will be long before the public are made fully aware of the cause of each accident and what steps are being taken to prevent its recurrence.