Captain let rookie try to land 3 times in Cork fog

THE inexperienced captain of the Cork Airport crash flight allowed his rookie co-pilot to make three landing attempts in dense fog.

This is despite the fact that the 1992-built Fairchild Metroliner aircraft was not equipped or certified to land in such weather conditions.

Senior aviation sources also said a flight’s captain would normally take over in such difficult weather.

The details are contained in the Air Accident Investigation Unit’s (AAIU) preliminary report into the February 10 tragedy.

It revealed that Andrew Cantle, 27, from Sunderland, was at the controls with the more experienced captain Jordi Lopez as the “pilot non-flying”.

Lopez was promoted to captain weeks before the crash and had just 1,800 hours on the aircraft. It was Cantle’s first commercial aviation job. He had just 720 hours on the aircraft.

The AAIU report ruled out a mechanical fault and revealed:

nThere were no failures of the aircraft systems or engines during the flight.

* There were no deficiencies in Cork’s Airport’s landing systems.

* The aircraft was certified to operate CAT I landings only, and not the foggy CAT II conditions which prevailed that day.

Six people, including the two pilots, died when the Spanish-registered 19-seater aircraft, en route from Belfast City Airport to Cork, crashed on its third attempt to land at Cork.

The report confirms that the Metroliner rolled left, then violently right on its third and fatal approach, before its right wing tip clipped the runway. The aircraft landed fully inverted.

The factors leading to this catastrophic loss of control are still being examined.

The AAIU’s probe is now focusing on the crew’s experience and training, and on all the operational and regulatory oversight of the company’s linked to the flight.

The flight tickets were sold by virtual airline Manx2.com, based in the Isle of Man. The flight was operated by Barcelona-based Flightline BCN, which had leased the aircraft from Seville-based Air Lada.

Manx2 said it would be inappropriate to comment while the investigation is ongoing.

“We refer any questions regarding the operation of the flight to Flightline BCN, the operator of the Belfast/Cork route,” said a spokesperson.

The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) said the report raises very serious questions about regulation in European aviation.

“It suggests that the pilots had relatively limited training and experience, and it is possible that both of these factors were contributory factors in the crash,” said IALPA president Captain Evan Cullen.

“There is a very serious disconnect in the regulatory framework that permits a loose relationship between a so-called virtual airline that takes passengers’ money, the company that supplies the aircraft and the company that operates the aircraft.

“A regulatory environment that permits such fragile connections is unsustainable,” said Capt Cullen.

The families of the victims and the six survivors were briefed on the report a few hours before it was published.

The AAIU probe could take a year to complete.