Qantas accepts findings of ATSB report on Bangkok accident

Airline Industry Information, April 26, 2001

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its report about an accident at Bangkok's Don Muang airport, Thailand involving an aircraft operated by Qantas.

Following the release of the report, Qantas has admitted that it should not have dismissed the accident as a mere incident, and has accepted blame. Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon stated on 25 April, 'The report says there were serious deficiencies in some of Qantas's operations and we accept that report. We apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience it obviously caused and we are accepting the blame for the accident,' news.com.au reported.

The accident occurred on 23 September 1999 and involved a Boeing 747-438 flight en route to London, UK that was carrying 410 people. As the aircraft landed in Bangkok, it aquaplaned off the end of the runway, crashed through navigational equipment and stopped across a perimeter road some 220 metres away from the runway.

The report found that the landing procedure used by the flight crew, which was designed to save wear on the brakes and create less noise, was unsuitable for wet weather. The report did not find that Qantas' cost-cutting measure regarding the brakes intentionally reduced operational safety standards.

Qantas has stated that it has now implemented new procedures and improved emergency training for crew, addressing all issues raised in the report.

Kim Bills, the ATSB director, has commented that the accident 'was a wake-up call for Qantas, who may have been lulled into a false sense of security by their very good safety record.' The report also found that the Qantas crew had not received important weather information and had not been advised that a prior Qantas flight had aborted landing at the airport. The first officer was criticised for inaccurate flying, while the captain was criticised for his decision to cancel a go-around and failure to use reverse thrust to slow the aircraft.

The captain was also criticised for not ordering an emergency evacuation, but Qantas and the Australian and International Pilots Association have defended this decision. The airline and union maintain that an emergency evacuation would have resulted in injuries. The union has also said that the ungrooved condition of the runway contributed to the accident.

Also criticised in the report was the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The ATSB has stated that CASA's supervision of the airline was poor and says that the agency does not have good enough rules for wet-runway landings or emergency procedures and training.

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