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Skyguide Carelessness Blamed for Plane Crash
Swiss air traffic controllers broke international rules, leaving a single person on duty one night in 2002 when two jets collided over Germany, killing 71 passengers, a judge said on Tuesday. Eight Skyguide employees are charged with carelessness and dereliction of duty over the plane crash. The defendants are facing up to 16 months in prison, but prosecutors have already settled for suspended sentences.
A single controller was on duty shortly before midnight on July 1, 2002, when a Russian charter and a freight plane operated by logistics company DHL collided in Swiss-controlled airspace over southern Germany. Most of the victims were Russian children on holiday. “According to a report, a one-man operation goes against guidelines set by the ICAO,” said the judge, referring to the U.N. standard-setting body the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
One defendant said the practice of solo control had not been a cause for concern before the accident, although Swiss authorities have now banned it. “I was the boss and could have changed it. I didn't have any reason to,” said an official who was head of Skyguide’s Zurich operations in 2002. “I viewed that as unproblematic.”
The judge read out testimony of the controller on duty that evening, Peter Nielsen, saying that Mr. Nielsen had to track 15 aircrafts before the collision. He was in talks with 11 aircrafts and was guiding one jet for the landing. Peter Nielsen, was later stabbed to death by a bereaved Russian who lost his wife, son and daughter on the flight.
Skyguide’s former Zurich representative said she did not think that the workload was excessive.
Eight Skyguide employees charged with manslaughter for contributing to unusual circumstances that caused the crash. The prosecutor has requested suspended sentences ranging from 6 to 15 months.
The Russian Tu-154M holiday charter flight had 57 passengers, mostly children, and 12 personnel on board. The Boeing 757 flight operated by DHL had 2 pilots aboard.
Court proceedings are expected to last till the end of May.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2007
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