Three seconds later, the aircraft descends through 40 feet (12m) at an airspeed of 132 knots. Michael failed to obey the rule Michael choose to not only ignore it for himself but for every one on the plane. I, personally, do not agree with the conclusions reached in this aircraft accident report. The computer didnt know he meant just to pop up a few hundred feet. Air France would have just replaced him. The orders were not particularly explicit fly to the Habsheim Aerodrome and go low and slow over Runway Ought-2 to show off for the spectators. The flight plan originally filed did not include the flyover of the Habsheim Air Show, which was added on the morning of the flight. Props and jets from the good old days, Flight Decks I feel that the sentence is unfair. A very unfortunate event in history! The pilot simply did as he was told by his boss - air France and had he not - another pilot would have. passenger, journalist, Airbus A320 family, aircraft pilot, airplane | 34K views, 176 likes, 1 loves, 48 comments, 47 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from. It's kind of hard to prove that pilots and conditions WOULD have messed up if they had truly been in control of all flights all these years. 12:44:14 - the engine power is reduced to flight idle. Yes, Cpt. The captain made a last-second turn and approach to overfly Runway 34R. Two fire trucks at the airshow set off and an ambulance followed. French investigation says that Asseline was trying to do an overly-ambitious maneuver and made critical errors. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the June 26, 1988, crash at the Mulhouse-Habsheim air show. He was the lead test pilot for the A320 in its development. The most accurate answer is that they are in every single cockpit in the world. I'd give the pilot 30-40% responsibility for the crash. Some individual in Texas, I read a little excerpt from book written by a man whom I quite dislike,. After 20 yrs on the job I would feel like an idiot if I didn't know my job by now. Now he was not planning on landing so these were of no interest to him.So then what safety reason would he have to go around? He knowingly took the passengers and aircraft into a dangerous situation, purposefully disabled some of the safeties (i.e. He exposed multiple anomalies, not to say lies, in the experts evidence and in the data of the crash all of which pointed to a very high level, state inspired plot to whitewash the aircraft in the crash and confirmed what the pilot had been saying all along. He joined the pilots defense team. There is evidence for this: A captain is ultimately responsible for the aircraft, its crew and the passengers! They might be paid, or simply represent interest of a much more powerful players - Air France. 2) he was slotted to fly over paved long runway and switched to short grass field where all the spectators were. Where was that, somewhere in Kentucky or Tennessee? the aerodrome about ten nautical miles away with his First Office r Maziers. Thirty-four passengers required hospitalisation for injuries and burns. I am sorry that their may be other factors that may say hey if the plane had performed better and had not taken over he may have been able to fly over the trees and been able to safely land the plane. [ 1,292 more word ] The evacuation from the rear door had been fast and smooth thanks to the instructions from the flight attendants at the rear of the aircraft. The first crash that comes to mind is the one where that CRJ2 crashed because it took off on the wrong runway and the only survivor was one of the pilots. I am appalled that the court found fit to blaim teh air carsh mainly on Captain Michel Asseline, as so many faults were made (like the height instructions, missing of the forrest, etc.). It certainly gives the impression of bias, even if there was none. Asseline argues that he attempted to apply thrust earlier than indicated in the flight recorder data. The A320 had been recently introduced, and Flight 296 was the first passenger flight of the A320. Captain Asseline was initially sentenced to 6 months in prison along with 12 months of probation . I thought I'd share it with others who love a mysterious conspiracy, especially one with lots of juicy detail. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care in the VA health care system, ensuring the doctor-patient relationship is maintained and strengthened. [2], Official reports concluded that the pilots flew too low, too slow, failed to see the forest and accidentally flew into it. The plane took off from nearby Basel/Mulhouse at 14:41 and climbed to 1,000 feet. Passenger cabin shots showing seat arrangements as well as cargo aircraft interior, Cargo Aircraft Captain Michel Asseline got burnt doing a routine, everyday maneuver that his plane just couldnt handle, one that an open-cockpit biplane could. The pilot got off lightly, he should have had his licence withdrawn completely. Asseline claims that this indicated a problem with the aeroplane's fly-by-wire system rather than pilot error. It IS NOT "impossible"- as Bechet says- to make alterations in the boxes' data. Although three people died in the crash _ two of them children _ 137 passengers and crew escaped. Captain Michel Asseline asserted that the altimeter read 30m (100'). TOGA power is applied. Related news. shameful arrogance! I think the pilot is culpable. I feel that the sentence is unfair. If we try to eliminate error altogether, we're kidding ourselves. "I've done it twenty times!" Captain Michel Asseline got thrown under the Airbus. Captain Michel Asseline served a year in prison. His choice to put the safety of the passengers at risk was and is the defining point I wish to make. Aside from the strong evidence that Air France, Airbus and the nation itself may well have had a hand in falsifying data related to the crash, there are several very important points to take away in this very sad and tragic story. Captain Asseline was flying to Mont Blanc, period. It is BASIC knowledge!!! Asseline fcuked up big time and killed 3 people. Due to the many demands of redirection and reconfiguration, the craft flew above Runway 34R at 30 feet, not the usual 100 feet which is standard for low-altitude demonstration overflight. It was far easier to have the pilot be the fall guy. [1], At the time of the incident, only three of the new aircraft type had been delivered to Air France, and the newest one (in service for two days) had been chosen for the flyover. The DFDR was read the same night by the Brtigny sur Orge Flight Test Centre: Investigators found that the aircraft had been airworthy, that its weight and centre-of-gravity had been within limits, and that there was no evidence of mechanical or electronic systems failure. Then, as she was helping another passenger whose clothes were on fire, she was carried forward by the surge of people rushing to escape. Accident, incident and crash related photos, Air to Air Prison of Precision (Part 2) by Stephen Vaughn MD, Ph. . Beautiful shots taken while the sun is below the horizon, Accidents By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Foremost in my mind when I fly is safety not only form anyone flying with me but also for myself. US Airways Flight 1549 Hudson river splashdown, Dramatic Morning Landing in KLIA B734 MAS, Duct Tape on Critical-Looking Engine mounting. Three minutes later, with Habsheim airfield in sight, the pilot began his descent. Since the plane was going slow, the computer overrode his input, and denied the maneuver. The day after the crash, French transport officials called a news conference to say the pilots were flying too slow and too low. Get a job criticizing nobody blames you for doing that. . I have seen TV shows where he was even interviewed. Do you feel that Captain Asseline should have aborted the flyover? I just watched "Mayday" which dealt with the crash of Flight 296. 3 passengers died in the accident and about 50 were injured. Aside from the strong evidence that Air France, Airbus and the nation itself may well have had a hand in falsifying data related to the crash, there are several very important points to take away in this very sad and tragic story. ), You can read more about this here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_296. Some faceless desk-pilot added on a trip to a tiny airfield on the day of the flight but did not bother to do the hard work of preparing the particulars necessary to do so. It is a fact of life that no human is perfect, and every one will make errors at some stage. Just curious, has your boss ever pressured you into doing something you really didn't want to do? 500 feet is the law it is not simple a suggestion. This is a sad but fundamental truth lying at the heart of human nature. Air France Flight 296Q was a chartered flight of a new Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France for Air Charter International. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panintern Flight_112, https://www.welt.de/print/wams/vermisch Licht.html, http://www.feuerwehr-krummesse.de/einsa kensee.php, http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/f-cp090 .01.en.pdf, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/14/us/ai hance.html, http://www.avmed.in/2011/02/from-convic le-reborn/, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/fir -1.2605682, https://norj.ca/2014/04/pilots-fired-af ff-course/. Self: Air Crash Investigation. Some seconds later the aircraft touched the tops of the trees behind the runway and crashed into a forest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_296. A report in Frontline magazine(the Hindu group). His craft was the third Airbus ever built. Everyone airminded in France knows that Michel Asseline, who was an Air France chief pilot instructor at the beginning of the Airbus A-320 era and PIC in the A-320 that crashed at Mulhouse-Habsheim airfield in June 1988, resumed his career some years after the accident as a Boeing-737 pilot in Australia. [5][6], The plane's flight recorders were found still attached in the unburnt tail section. But now that the aircraft was performing its flyover at only thirty feet, the crew noticed the aircraft was lower than the now-identified hazard that they were fast approaching. The combination of these issues and possible pilot error results in a crash into a nearby forest that kills three passengers. Therefore, Captain Asseline has to also take some responsibility for those that died and those that were maimed for life. Air France didn't inform the crew of this critical change (yet the crew voices are recorded on black boxes, and they use imperial units). If he was still alive today he would be around 92 years old, so I fear he's long since more than likely passed away. But its all about me and you. -- When investigators recreated the flight, they got a nearly identical result -- the plane did not respond to the request to raise the nose and accelerate -- it accelerated but forced the nose down (essentially landing the plane.) He is now flying in Australia. He was not qualified for what was, essentially, display flying. Both pilots Captain Asseline and First Officer Mazire survived. Captain Asseline, and four other Air France employees are convicted of involuntary manslaughter. There is a CA that I knew that turned his T-Tail aircraft into the wing of another aircraft and he remained with the same company but ended up as a ground instructor for situational awareness classes. Today, the captain, Michel Asseline has lost his French pilot license for 8 years. 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