A court in Colmar, in eastern France, also sentenced pilot Michel Asseline to 12 additional months, which were suspended. He knowingly took the passengers and aircraft into a dangerous situation, purposefully disabled some of the safeties (i.e. [7] Asseline walked free from the court and said he would appeal to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation (French: Cour de Cassation). He is in a wheel chair now, but thats gotta be a tough one to be the one and only survivor and its because of an error on his part. [2], Official reports concluded that the pilots flew too low, too slow, failed to see the forest and accidentally flew into it. The aircraft levels off at 30 feet (9.1m). Four seconds later, the aircraft begins striking the treetops. I'm definitely beside the driver. [2] Mazires had 10,853 hours of flight time. The others were sentenced to probation. and our You must learn and follow the rules otherwise you may DIE or kill someone else and die.This one fact that Michael choose to fly at 100ft that Michael performed as the pilot in charge of this Aircraft is sufficient to place the guilt firmly in his lap. Couldn't even begin to imagine what he has gone through. I am Captain Michel Asseline. The plan was to overfly Runway Ought-2; the aircraft was configured for a low-altitude overflight. They might be paid, or simply represent interest of a much more powerful players - Air France. I just watched "Mayday" which dealt with the crash of Flight 296. Thirty-four passengers required hospitalisation for injuries and burns. The pilot simply did as he was told by his boss - air France and had he not - another pilot would have. In order to accomplish the desk-pilots orders, the pilots valuable time was spent jiggering the preparations for the overflight, not allowing him to evaluate strategic details like why fly a plane at 30 feet if there are 100-foot trees at the end? Why be a sucker? His job was to find its limitations, but one slipped past him, and Airbus and all the designers and engineers. I'd give the pilot 30-40% responsibility for the crash. In order to accomplish the desk-pilots orders, the pilots valuable time was spent jiggering the preparations for the overflight, not allowing him to evaluate strategic details like why fly a plane at 30 feet if there are 100-foot trees at the end? A court in Colmar, in eastern France, also sentenced pilot Michel Asseline to 12 additional months, which were suspended. Oddly enough, so is a reporter who was ON the flight.-- Asseline is flying in Austraila now.-- Several other Airbus's with fly-by-wire systems like the 320 have crashed due to a similar issue. its the fault of the AIRBUS not the pilot, NO it isn't. [2], First Officer Pierre Mazires, 45, had been flying with the airline since 1969 and had been a training captain for six years. Not only was he told to go there, he was told the wrong runway to overfly. Pilot was sentenced to imprisonment for about a year. ), You can read more about this here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_296. He was flying with visual flight rules. Both pilots received minor head injuries and also suffered from smoke inhalation and shock. My feeling: pilot did as he was told by air France. OEB 06/2: Baro-Setting Cross Check. The computer didnt know he meant just to pop up a few hundred feet. The pilot called out to the co-pilot for emergency power. ALL pilots KNOW, that there is a spool up time on jetengines. Guilty. Based on the fact that copilot Pierre Maziere did not comment and still is flying for Air France, I think he is bought and silenced. That pilot should walk free. As a pilot you study this rule and there are many rules. He told his history in his book "Le pilote est-il coupable?" Edit. Related news. 3rd not sure if this is accurate info or false the pilot didn't know the altitude was being measured in feet not meters. Michel Asseline was the pilot in command of F-GFKC, Pierre Mazire was his first officer, when the aircraft overflew the airfield at 2 pm in wonderful sunny weather. [1] A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. [1] A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. Agreed, the aircraft was not responsible for the reckless manner in which it was flown, the aircraft was not the captain -- you were Mr. Asseline. Captain Michel Asseline served a year in prison. [2], The medical team from the airshow arrived and began examining the passengers. A website, http://www.crashdehabsheim.net/ has been set up to analyze the scandal. But upon seeing the Aerodrome, the pilot saw that the audience were gathered elsewhere, on Runway 34R. Asseline made some critical errors, but there were also some big problems with the A320's fly-by-wire system. To pull a low-altitude stunt like that, with no margin of error AND with PASSENGERS ABOARD beggars belief! If you get blamed for everything, its better to do nothing. It crashed into a forest short of the runway, causing the death of 3 people. The combustion chambers clogged and the engines failed. US Airways Flight 1549 Hudson river splashdown, Dramatic Morning Landing in KLIA B734 MAS, Duct Tape on Critical-Looking Engine mounting. Asseline was initially sentenced to six months in prison along with twelve months of probation. His craft was the third Airbus ever built. After a few seconds, Asseline claims, he became worried that the plane's completely computerised throttle control had malfunctioned and responded by pulling the throttle all the way back then forward again. In the US it's called ASAP. Taking passengers on this flight (low pass at 100Ft AGL) was a wrong thing to do. I should estimate that in my experience most troubles and most possibilities for improvement add up to the proportions something like this: 94% belongs to the system (responsibility of management), 6% special. Page 315 of Out of the Crisis by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. If he maintained 100ft, the aicraft would've missed the 40ft trees! I think, it was easier to charge captain, than continue in investigation and may find out faults of someone or something else. Interruption of the power occurred forward of the tail sectionmost probably in the wheel-well area, which was heavily damaged. I take my hat off to the captain. Captain Asseline was flying to Mont Blanc, period. Very low flyover height, lower than surrounding obstacles; Speed very slow and reducing to reach maximum possible angle of attack; Passengers should be banned from all demonstration flights, Flight crews should be provided with and ensure proper reconnaissance of airfields, Airline company procedures should be reviewed to ensure they comply with official regulations concerning altitude, This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 19:11. The flight plan originally filed did not include the flyover of the Habsheim Air Show, which was added on the morning of the flight. And cheaper! He has admitted these mistakes and paid for them. Beautiful shots taken while the sun is below the horizon, Accidents He didnt familiarize himself with the airfield as he should have and he must take responsibility for flying at only 30 feet instead of 100ft. [2] The flyover had been approved by Air France's Air Operations Directorate and Flight Safety Department, and air traffic control and Basel tower had been informed. It was piloted by a premier captain of Air France, Captain Michel Asseline, with over10,000 air hours, and led the training division of Air France for qualifying pilots on the Airbus 320. The door opened partway, and the emergency escape slide began inflating while it was stuck partly inside the fuselage. Tail and Winglet closeups with beautiful airline logos. He was never given the chance. Asseline did not find the aerodrome in . It was a demonstration charter flight, Air France Flight 296. Discover (and save) your own Pins on Pinterest. I don't think so. He was supposed to conduct a low-level pass over the runway at . Because the aircraft's altitude had fallen below 100ft, the plane's computer may have been programmed to believe it was landing and therefore prevent any drastic manoeuvres from either pilot. Ultimately the pilot has to take some of the blame for this crash and the deaths. For any pilot to forgo any safety precaution puts that pilot at risk and anyone flying with the pilot. You don't need to think as much you just do. The plane crashed because of a design defect; but because it was software and not metal, it was ignored. Most of the crash sequence, which occurred in front of several thousand spectators, was caught on video. Air France was especially impressed with the A320, which was the first fly-by-wire airplane ever to carry passengers. I think this is a great thread, I also wonder what happens to pilots after landing incidents etc, like TK incident at KTM what happens to pilots after such incidents? Air France Flight 296 - Disputed Account - A320 Operation Anomalies - OEB 06/2: Baro-Setting Cross Check. I'm confident in my skills & my co workers often come to me with questions or for help and always no matter how busy I am I gladly help them. The low-speed flyover, with landing gear down, was supposed to take place at an altitude of 100 feet (30m); instead, the plane performed the flyover at 30ft (9m), skimmed the treetops of the forest at the end of the runway (which had not been shown on the airport map given to the pilots) and crashed. The point is that again instead of having the safety of his passengers as his first concern it was to perform the flyby. (How can you see people but not trees?) He did the best he could. 3 people died due to smoke. I want to do a good job and take pride in my work. I thought I'd share it with others who love a mysterious conspiracy, especially one with lots of juicy detail. A captain is ultimately responsible for the aircraft, its crew and the passengers! The press was aboard. It is clear that the only reason why one would cut out those missing seconds would be that the plane's engines took longer than any spool-up time you could ever imagine. Captain Michel Asseline got burnt doing a routine, everyday maneuver that his plane just couldnt handle, one that an open-cockpit biplane could. Have you ever feared losing your job? the aerodrome about ten nautical miles away with his First Office r Maziers. [2], The panicking passengers now began pushing toward the front of the cabin. Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR, Military Aircraft Re: Pilots that make mistakes -- Where are they today? If he was unaware that the plane's altimeter was in feet and not meters he still bears the responsibility of flying too low. *Management often screws around. Today, the captain, Michel Asseline has lost his French pilot license for 8 years. After takeoff, eight minutes away, the Aerodrome came into view. Views from inside the cockpit, Aircraft Cabins [2], During the impact, the right wing was torn off, and the spilling fuel ignited immediately. Asseline should've used Radar Altimeter when flying at such a low level. The day after the crash, French transport officials called a news conference to say the pilots were flying too slow and too low. They did have indications of problems as in any new version of an airplane before it is completely debugged. And we dont share your email with anyone. This bug has now been corrected in later versions of the 320. Just curious, has your boss ever pressured you into doing something you really didn't want to do? Nor, then, were his passengers. Captain Asseline, First Officer Mazire, two Air France officials and the president of the flying club sponsoring the air show were all charged with involuntary manslaughter . Help Center Contributor Zone Polls. If you remove management edicts and substitute human judgment, you can eliminate 19 out of 20 errors. 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. Why be a sucker? Pilot was sentenced to imprisonment for about a year. Both military and civil versions, Blimps / Airships It's about commercial aviation, and I've tried to include all the relevant facts for you to draw conclusions. Captain Asseline, First Officer Mazire, two Air France employees and the sponsor of the event, president of the local flight club, were charged with the crime of involuntary manslaughter, of the group Captain Asseline was the only one who ended up in jail convicted to 10 months in prison, while the rest ended up on probation. 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. The posters here who support the pilot don't know what they are talking about. I realise you're talking about significant mistakes contributing to an accident, but when I saw the thread title "Pilots that make mistakes -- Where are they today? The crash was a great embarrassment to Air France and Airbus, a European company with deep roots in France. The crash was a great embarrassment to Air France and Airbus, a European company with deep roots in France. [2] Additionally, the captain was expecting from the flight plan to do the pass over runway 02 (3,281 feet (1,000m) long, paved) and was preparing for that alignment. 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R Maziers precaution puts that pilot at risk and anyone flying with the sequence. Miles away with his first Office r Maziers as a pilot you study this rule and there are many.. In front of several thousand spectators, was caught on video this Flight ( low pass at 100Ft AGL was! A European company with deep roots in France in prison along with twelve months of probation the. Here: https: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_296 share it with others who love a conspiracy. ( i.e 3rd not sure if this is accurate info or false the pilot saw that the plane 's was... Inhalation and shock by Air France Flight 296 suffered from smoke inhalation and shock,!
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