KQ disputes report on cause of crash

By Luke Anami

Kenya Airways has denied reports that ‘pilot error’ was entirely to blame for the plane crash in Douala, Cameroon.

The national carrier said the Douala report does not clearly state the 2007 accident was caused by the pilot’s error.

KQ Managing Director Titus Naikuni said: "Although we accept the report, there are three issues in the investigation we differ with."

He said according to the accident report, the aircraft crashed as a result of loss of control by the crew due to spatial disorientation.

Prevent recurrence

Although it does not intend to apportion blame but to provide recommendations to prevent a recurrence, the report attributed the Flight KQ 507 crash to Pilot Francis Wamwea, 53, and copilot Kiuru Wanyoike, 23.

The two reportedly made several errors and failed to observe the standard operating procedures on taking off in bad weather from Douala Airport.

While disputing sections of the report, Mr Naikuni said the crew could have lost concentration due to bad weather.

"Pilots undergo rigorous recruitment and training. We invest significantly in pilot training and subscribe to the latest techniques at par with the best practice," he said Thursday, accompanied by four senior KQ managers including Human Resource Director Paul Kasim, Captains Paul Mwangi and Stuart Hutchison, and the Safety and Quality Manager Alex Avedi.

KQ also disputed the report’s claim that their procedure was contrary to manufacturer’s recommendations.

"That is not true. The procedure we had in place at that time is actually in compliance with the manufacturer’s recommendations on the engagement of the autopilot," Mr Avedi said.

International standards

Mr Kasim explained the recruitment and training pilots undergo, adding the airline was at par with international standards.

On the claim that the first officer had not undergone crew resource management, Avedi said: "This is a contradiction. The officer had undergone resource management training on September 25 and 26 in 2006."

He added: "While it says there is no safety track, the same report goes on and highly recommend KQ’s safety programme and training."

Naikuni said no particular figure has been set aside to compensate the crash victims. "The airline paid an initial sum of $30,000, which is not a final figure," he said.