Twenty years after deadly Halifax cargo jet crash, safety improvements lag

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The deadly clang of an MK Airlines cargo level successful Halifax connected Oct. 14, 2004, heightened concerns astir unit fatigue and inadequate training, but 20 years later, cardinal information improvements person yet to beryllium made.

Seven unit members — David Lamb, Michael Thornycroft, Gary Keogh, Steven Hooper, Peter Launder, Mario Zahn and Christopher Strydom — died successful nan crash. Thornycroft was from South Africa, while Zahn was a dual German-South African national and nan remaining unit were from Zimbabwe.

Their names are connected a granite memorial astatine nan tract — a wooded area conscionable beyond nan airport’s bound obstruction — wherever nan fuel-laden Boeing 747 collapsed during takeoff, breaking into pieces and lighting up nan early greeting sky.

Seconds earlier, nan heavy loaded formation had struggled to get disconnected nan runway, and arsenic a consequence its tail — which had dragged on nan actual successful a ablution of sparks — struck a berm astatine nan extremity of nan runway, snapping disconnected and preventing immoderate dream of recovery.

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Ray Wagner’s Halifax rule agency worked pinch a Toronto rule patient representing six of nan victims’ families successful a suit against nan airline, nan Halifax airport, a patient that provided training and a institution that loaded nan aircraft. Wagner said he recalls nan lasting trauma connected nan families. In Nova Scotia Supreme Court records, location are 35 group listed arsenic family members affected by nan disaster, including parents, children, siblings and spouses.

“I lament for nan families,” Wagner said successful an question and reply past week. “I lament for nan children who mislaid their fathers, and location were a batch of children,” he added.

But he is besides concerned astir whether information lessons person been learned and afloat implemented. “Did it origin them (the defendants successful nan lawsuit) to really alteration their behaviours? Do they really alteration their practices to guarantee that it doesn’t hap again?”

Mike Kruger, erstwhile main executive of MK Airlines — which went retired of business successful 2010 — did not respond to emails seeking remark connected nan anniversary. Before nan Nova Scotia court, MK denied shortcomings successful its information practices.

 'Air Canada level leaving Halifax receives mid-flight threat, lands safely successful U.S.'

0:48 Air Canada level leaving Halifax receives mid-flight threat, lands safely successful U.S.

Initially, according to a study by nan Transportation Safety Board of Canada, nan disaster seemed to beryllium elemental quality error. In 2005, investigators pointed to an incorrect throttle mounting that near nan level — carrying 350 tonnes of cargo — without nan thrust needed to get disconnected nan ground.

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The unit had precocious started utilizing software, known arsenic nan Boeing Laptop Tool, which calculated nan due powerfulness request based connected nan unit inputting nan cargo weight, runway magnitude and upwind conditions.

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In its analysis, nan investigative squad recovered it was imaginable a unit personnel utilizing nan package inadvertently applied information connected cargo weight from nan erstwhile flight, which was 110 tonnes lighter, to nan Halifax takeoff. As a result, nan powerfulness mounting successful Halifax didn’t relationship for nan existent weight.

However, according to nan TSB report, this correction had roots successful much than 1 person’s mistake. “Factors that apt contributed to nan incorrect takeoff information being generated and past not being detected earlier nan takeoff effort were formation unit fatigue … (and) inadequate training connected nan Boeing Laptop Tool,” nan study found.

The TSB concluded nan rules astir remainder utilized by Ghana-regulated MK Airlines were “one of nan slightest restrictive among nan International Civil Aviation Organization’s personnel states.” MK Airlines allowed shifts of 24.5 hours for three-pilot crews, pinch up to 18 hours successful nan air.

By comparison, astatine nan clip successful Canada, specified crews could only activity 20 hours, pinch a maximum of 14 hours successful nan air.

“There is simply a reasonable limit to nan clip a formation unit tin stay connected work earlier acute fatigue originates to induce unacceptable quality capacity deficiencies,” nan study said. And nan board’s study indicated nan crew’s remainder levels “would person been astatine their lowest level of capacity because of fatigue,” conscionable arsenic they were trying to usage nan package successful Halifax.

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Meanwhile, grounds was unearthed explaining why nan unit weren’t proficient pinch nan software. According to nan TSB, nan institution asked unit to “self study” nan 46-page manual and location was “little nonstop training provided.”

In addition, moreover though nan institution had 3 erstwhile accidents, nan “regulatory oversight of MK Airlines by nan Ghana Civil Aviation Authority was not capable to observe superior non-conformances to formation and work times, aliases ongoing non-adherence to institution directions and procedures,” wrote nan investigator, who documented really nan hose had grown quickly aft being founded successful Zimbabwe and shifting its firm location to Ghana.

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The Ghanaian authority didn’t respond to an email requesting comment.

The sole proposal from nan study called connected Transport Canada to activity pinch its world counterparts to create a takeoff monitoring strategy that would instantly alert craft unit if location were thing incorrect pinch powerfulness levels during takeoff.

On nan TSB website, it says that while Transport Canada agrees “in rule pinch nan recommendation,” nary specified systems yet beryllium that are reliable. It adds that nan manufacture is “best placed to return nan lead to develop” a strategy that mightiness person warned nan pilots of their impending disaster. The information committee responded that Transport Canada could still push for investigation successful this area, moving pinch different regulators.

Stricter information rules person been brought successful for Canadian pilots of ample craft since nan crash.

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For example, arsenic of 2020, airlines were to headdress nan on-duty play for pilots to betwixt 9 and 13 hours depending connected nan flight’s duration, nan number of segments flown that day, and work commencement times.

Investigators activity successful nan debris section astatine nan clang tract of nan MK Airlines 747 cargo pitchy adjacent Halifax International Airport connected Oct. 21, 2004. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

However, Transportation Safety Board placed unit fatigue connected its watch database successful 2018, and it has remained location since. The board’s website says it wants to spot Transport Canada require “fatigue guidance systems,” wherever operators spell beyond focusing connected nan hours of rest, and besides group successful spot systems that measure causes of fatigue and make changes to debar exhaustion.

The Canadian Press asked Transport Canada what it is doing to guarantee overseas cargo planes landing successful Canada person unit connected committee who are gathering Canadian standards to forestall fatigue. The section didn’t supply a consequence by deadline.

Toronto-based lawyer Paul Miller, whose patient launched nan suit connected behalf of nan six families, said he was pleased that by 2007 they each received settlements “in nan 7 digits.” He said successful an question and reply past week that specifications cannot beryllium revealed owed to a confidentiality agreement.

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However, Miller said nan ineligible action was important some for financial and affectional reasons to nan families.

“It was really important to springiness them immoderate mentation of what had happened to their loved ones, and besides to get them financial thief arsenic nan main income earner of each family had been mislaid successful that horrific crash,” he said.

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