Lapse In Safety Measures In Indonesian Aviation, AirAsia Flight?; 3 More Bodies, Black Box Reportedly Found


BASARNAS Director of Operations Suyadi Bambang Supriyadi said in a statement in a press briefing, "Search operations for AirAsia flight QZ8501 resumed, spreading eastward in slightly clearer weather Monday, with rescue teams picking up another three bodies, bringing the total count of victims retrieved from the crash site to 37." The search and rescue operations chief said that three of the bodies were strapped to their seats.

According to sg.news.yahoo.com, thirteen bodies have been identified. They are "45-year-old Shaime Josal, 42-year-old Tony Linaksita, 61-year-old Lim Yan Koen and 53-year-old Yongke Jou." Up to day 9 of the search operations, all id'd victims have been Indonesian.

An Indonesian naval captain reported that his naval patrol vessel may have run into the jet's tail, where the black box is located. Yayan Sofyan, commander of Indonesian Navy ship KRI Bung Tomo said at a news conference, "We found what has a high probability of being the tail of the plane," He added, the tail should have the black boxes, which includes the flight data and voice recorders.

However, Bambang Soelistyo said they are in the process of verifying the debris saying, "That (The tail end0 is suspected. Now we are trying to confirm it."

Indonesia's transport minister, Ignasius Jonan ordered pre-departure briefings for all pilots on international flights from flight operation officers. Jonan called for the suspension officials on duty while AirAsia flight QZ8501 tookoff before its crash, AP-Dow Jones reported.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said in a leaked report that the AirAsia pilot and the French co-pilot did not receive the mandatory weather reports ahead of takeoff.

The Independent quoted a report by U.S. safety regulators, the FAA highlighting 'concerns about degradation of pilot knowledge and skills.' "Use of automated systems has not replaced the need for basic knowledge and skills, including hand flying, instrument cross-check, system knowledge and maintaining situation awareness and aircraft state awareness," warned the FAA's Flight Deck Automation Working Group.

Here are the major recommendations from the flight regulator group:

Key recommendations from the FAA's Flight Deck Automation Working Group
* The vulnerability in manual flight operations is a critical area that must be addressed
* Procedures that enable the practice, development and retention of manual flying skills are necessary
* Pilots must be prepared for dealing with the unexpected
* Focus on flight-path management, rather than automated systems.
* Airlines must identify appropriate opportunities for manual flight operations.

(source: The Independent)