More Accidents On Airport Approach

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31004, 9 March 1966, Page 1

More Accidents On Airport Approach

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. March 8. In spite of an improvement in safety levels in civil aviation an analysis of statistics brought some disturbing facts to light, said Captain J. M. Bartelski, addressing the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association’s conference in Auckland today.

Captain Baitelski is the federation’s ■ deputy-president. He said that the number of accidents occurring as planes came in to land was on the increase. “Most were reported as having the main contributing cause the inadequacy of navigational aids or approved facilities •’nd were generally classified as *hit hill during let-down or approach’,” he said. “It it reported that 80 per C

cent of the accidents classified under this heading occurred at or near the airports equipped with marginal navigational aids and where, generally, frequency of arrivals was low,” he said. “In fact, these airports absorbed only 17 per cent of total landings throughout the world.” He said a firm policy on ! deficiencies in navigational J aids at airports could best be illustrated by the case of Cairo airport where a ban had I been recommended on runway 34 for night landings. , A request for a navigational

aid had been refused, he said, in spite of three accidents “A tragic disaster was soon to follow,” said Captain Bar telski, “involving the loss of 119 lives during an approach to runway 34 by a Boeing 720 of Pakistan Airlines.” He said similar factors had been found in the three accidents before the Boeing disaster. The pilots’ ban on using the runway at night had ; proved successful as the Egyptian authorities had I placed an order for an tnstru jment landing system with a I British finn/J