[1] On 26 June 1988, the plane crashed while making a low pass over MulhouseHabsheim Airfield (ICAO airport code LFGB) as part of the Habsheim Air Show. Defects come in all shades. 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. Views from inside the cockpit, Aircraft Cabins The plane crashed because of a design defect; but because it was software and not metal, it was ignored. Captain Michel Asseline, 44, had been an airline pilot with Air France for almost 20 years and had the following endorsements: Caravelle, Boeing 707, 727, and 737, and Airbus A300 and A310.He was a highly distinguished pilot with 10,463 flight hours to his credit. Overflight at this altitude made the demonstration to the crowd even more awe-inspiring. Asseline had total confidence in the aircraft's computer systems. [1] A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. *Whos going to fly the goddamn airplanes in the future? During this manoeuvre, a fluctuation in the radio altimeter height corresponds to the aircraft passing over a patch of trees (whereas before and after this fluctuation, the readings of the radio altimeter and those of the barometric altimeter match perfectly). Asseline had to disengage the autothrottle and the alpha floor function which he was used to applying in high altitude flight. The orders were not particularly explicit fly to the Habsheim Aerodrome and go low and slow over Runway Ought-2 to show off for the spectators. The aircraft was on ground for a week for saftety checks and the captain was downgraded for 2 years to a FO. 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. -- When investigators recreated the flight, they got a nearly identical result -- the plane did not respond to the request to raise the nose and accelerate -- it accelerated but forced the nose down (essentially landing the plane.) If you remove management edicts and substitute human judgment, you can eliminate 19 out of 20 errors. Pilots that make mistakes -- Where are they today? The captain of this Aircraft should take responsibility for his actions instead of trying to clear his name. It's about commercial aviation, and I've tried to include all the relevant facts for you to draw conclusions. . If you get blamed for everything, its better to do nothing. I even can't remember the name of the Germanwings pilot at the moment and he is quite "famous". The point is that again instead of having the safety of his passengers as his first concern it was to perform the flyby. Today, they would perform a flyover at the Habsheim Air Show at the Habsheim Aerodrome and go on to a sightseeing tour of Mont Blanc. Do you think the safety override crashed the plane when it forced the nose down, and the crash was inevitable? Christian Roger, a professional pilot, complained energetically about the fact-finding process around the crash. There is a CA that I knew that turned his T-Tail aircraft into the wing of another aircraft and he remained with the same company but ended up as a ground instructor for situational awareness classes. [2], The flight deck crew believed that the engines had failed to respond to the application of full power. [2], The official investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the French air accident investigation bureau, in conjunction with Air France and Airbus. A further ten seconds later, 'Flaps 2' is selected. Even if no one had died even if there had been no accident he would have and should have been charged with endangering the safety of the passengers. Community. You don't need to think as much you just do. Also punished with suspended sentences were Air Frances then-director of air operations, a security official for Air France, and the president of the Habsheim air club. Heres a story about me and you. That pilot should walk free. Here's a story about me and you. Pilot was sentenced to imprisonment for about a year. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panintern Flight_112, https://www.welt.de/print/wams/vermisch Licht.html, http://www.feuerwehr-krummesse.de/einsa kensee.php, http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/f-cp090 .01.en.pdf, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/14/us/ai hance.html, http://www.avmed.in/2011/02/from-convic le-reborn/, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/fir -1.2605682, https://norj.ca/2014/04/pilots-fired-af ff-course/. [2], The CVR was read during the night of 26 June at the BEA. The purser went to announce instructions to the passengers but the public address system handset had been torn off. It is very disrespectful towards the family members who have lost loved ones in this crash for him not to take responsibility for the mistakes he has made. The press was aboard. The pilot was told, word-of-mouth, to do so. One simple mistake doesn't cause an airplane crash. Both pilots Captain Asseline and First Officer Mazire survived. Captain Michel Asseline served a year in prison. Ascending at such an angle would lead to the planes stalling within minutes. 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. The aircraft fell to the ground. It's been implied by jealous coworkers I'm cocky. Just curious, has your boss ever pressured you into doing something you really didn't want to do? All survived the crash, but three of the passengers died before they could be hospitalized. then 'cause he climb down? Losing altitude at the last minute. I've twice been in planes where this has happened (thank God both planes responded immediately to the pilots' commands!) Asseline did not find the aerodrome in . I think the best example of this case would be Captain Lyle Prouse - he went to jail for flying a passenger flight while drunk, lost his job with NW as well as his FAA licence, and ends up being rehired, regained his licence & retired from NW as a 747 captain. Everyone airminded in France knows that Michel Asseline, who was an Air France chief pilot instructor at the beginning of the Airbus A-320 era and PIC in the A-320 that crashed at Mulhouse-Habsheim airfield in June 1988, resumed his career some years after the accident as a Boeing-737 pilot in Australia. Anyone who has worked same job for years will know what I mean when I say we don't really have to think about what we are doing at work we just do it because we have done it so many times before and know exactly how to do it correctly. Would you fly with this ass. at the controls? His choice to put the safety of the passengers at risk was and is the defining point I wish to make. It certainly gives the impression of bias, even if there was none. I feel he should have radioed in and asked if it was acceptable to switch runways. Asseline argues that he attempted to apply thrust earlier than indicated in the flight recorder data. A passenger tried to open the left-side overwing exit. Claiming he couldnt hear or read the radio altimeter is ridiculous. But as the aircraft approached the field, the flight deck crew noticed that the spectators were gathered beside runway 34R (2,100 feet (640m) long, grass). This was a tragic incident. 500 feet is the law it is not simple a suggestion. Where are pilots who make mistakes? Guilty. 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. Not only was he told to go there, he was told the wrong runway to overfly. The combination of these issues and possible pilot error results in a crash into a nearby forest that kills three passengers. It may have. Four seconds later, the aircraft begins striking the treetops. He was endorsed on the Caravelle, Boeing 707 and 737, and had qualified as an A320 captain three months before the accident. -- the black box indicates (as does the video) the plane was clearly too low and too slow for the maneuver. he claims to have done this before in the recording, but does not mention that it was at 20,000 feet with 40% thrust rather than 100 feet with 5% thrust. I'm not cocky - I'm just good at my job. Mayday also looks at the theory that it was the computer at fault, not the pilots. [1] A training captain since 1979, Asseline was appointed to head the company's A320 training subdivision at the end of 1987. I think the pilot is culpable. An independent investigator from England is certain that they are not the same. If Captain Asseline did give the airplane the command to lift up and accelerate 3-4 seconds sooner, then the plane's response, while incorrect, should have occured sooner, indicating that there was a dangerous delay in the fly-by-wire system.-- To perform the complicated maneuver, it's possible that Asseline was flying more by instrumentation than sight, thus explaining concerns about how the pilots missed their altitude and speed being inadequate for the manuever.-- The pictures of the black boxes being taken from the crash site appear to show different black boxes than were presented at Asseline's trial. I am Captain Michel. Asseline was initially sentenced to six months in prison along with twelve months of probation. It then takes one second more to go from 67 to 83% N1. It was the third A320 delivered to Air France, the launch customer. [2] The cockpit voice recorder recorded the first officer's call: The crew applied full power and Asseline attempted to climb. It was a demonstration charter flight, Air France Flight 296. It threatened to ruin the reputation of the A320, potentially losing many millions of dollars in sales. But the truth is that the new technology has caused some crashes as well. Air France Flight 296Q was a chartered flight of a new Airbus A320-111 operated by Air France for Air Charter International. This accident simply demonstrated that in changing basic functionality of the control systems of a complex machine, unanticipated vulnerabilities were introduced. He was never given the chance. ButThe black boxes shown in court were clearly NOT the ones from the plane and many questionable and/or unauthorized persons DID have access to them at various times in the investigation. Everyone thought it was a no-brainer for the A320 to wow this crowd. Why be a sucker? Captain Asseline, who maintained his innocence, would go on to serve ten months of prison and a further ten months of probation.[3]. It's kind of hard to prove that pilots and conditions WOULD have messed up if they had truly been in control of all flights all these years. A pilot in charge has the ability to abort, and having realized that he was given bad information, he should have.-- Asseline had to override a safety to perform the maneuver planned for the airshow.-- Asseline claims that he thought the trees were bushes. Due to the many demands of redirection and reconfiguration, the craft flew above Runway 34R at 30 feet, not the usual 100 feet which is standard for low-altitude demonstration overflight. The Captain begins to flare the aircraft (he lifts the nose 4) to level its flight. The translated version of the report can be found on the Aviation Accidents Database and at the Aviation Safety Network. Self - Captain, Flight 296 (segment: Air France Flight 296Q) 2018 1 ep; Credits. This was yet another unanticipated vulnerability. He was however given a plane that would not climb properly when he tried to and this also contributed to the crash. Plane" and included an interview with Captain Michel Asseline, survivors, and accident investigators.[10]. Aircraft painted in beautiful and original liveries, Airport Overviews I just watched "Mayday" which dealt with the crash of Flight 296. 12:45:06 - the aircraft descends through 200 feet (61m) at an airspeed of 155 knots. This and another point i wish to make the fact that most pilots would have performed a procedure called a go around when approaching an airport that you are unfamiliar with. The map he was given was not accurate the info he was given i.e. Air France was especially impressed with the A320, which was the first fly-by-wire airplane ever to carry passengers. A flight attendant standing in the centre of the cabin at seat 12D was pushed into the aisle by a severely burnt passenger from 12F. The evidence is clear - the plane was at alphamax (high angle of attack), at very low airspeed, and with engine set to idle. You are Captain Michel Asseline. The door opened partway, and the emergency escape slide began inflating while it was stuck partly inside the fuselage. The fact the plane took over in the end should have been of no concern to him and his passengers had he followed the rules and flown at 500ft. Captain Michel Asseline got thrown under the Airbus. This response of the engines complied with their certification data.[2]. Here's one I remember seeing a few years ago in Canada. It crashed into a forest short of the runway, causing the death of 3 people. [3], It was also claimed by the Institute of Police Forensic Evidence and Criminology, based in Switzerland, that the flight data recorders may have been switched and were not the original ones in the airplane. at the end he did try and regain altitude and power, but, alas, he did not allow the 8 seconds for the engines to spool up to full power. and the rule he broke was the defining factor that caused the accident. Menu. Business & Commercial Aviation BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL AVIATION CHALLENGING AIRPORTS LEARNING FROM TEST PILOTS D, A Collaborative Work From Some of the Writers at Authentic Medicine, (Get our FREE action packed newsletter by signing up here. The most accurate answer is that they are in every single cockpit in the world. The Airbus A320 couldnt handle it. 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. Captain Michel Asseline got burnt doing a routine, everyday maneuver that his plane just couldnt handle, one that an open-cockpit biplane could. Its about commercial aviation, and Ive tried to include all the relevant facts for you to draw conclusions. Airbus should have simply admitted this and moved on. Everything from the Goodyear blimp to the Zeppelin, Night Photos Airport overviews from the air or ground, Tails and Winglets He also claims he recognized that spectators were on a different runway than the one included in his flight plan. This distance was too short for them to stabilise the aircraft's altitude and speed for the flyover. *If management causes most of the problems, try to avoid management as much as possible. Well to see if like i said a truck were parked on the runway or if the runway at the end had trees which were not on the map that he had. He was a highly distinguished pilot with 10,463 flight hours. Privacy Policy. I know a captain who made a barrel-roll with a Dornier 328. Captain Asseline was flying to Mont Blanc, period. Facts: 1) new plane (model/style) = bugs still to be discovered & pilots not familiar w how plane functions (new technology / automation) 2) pilot was not familiar w air field not shown air field and only given a map of it (inaccurate map showing no terrain) right before the flight 3) air France never should have had people on the flight except crew knowing all these factors. I'd give the pilot 30-40% responsibility for the crash. Have you ever feared losing your job? The egress of the passengers was temporarily halted while the purser and another flight attendant began clearing the branches. He should never have put it into that situation. [1] He always could have done a couple fly overs and looped back. He had been charged with ``involuntary homicides and injuries.. [2], By this time, the fire had entered the right side of the fuselage through the damaged floor section between seat rows 10 and 15. The episode "Disastrous Descents" of the TV series Aircrash Confidential produced by WMR Productions and IMG Entertainment, featured the accident and included an interview with Captain Michel Asseline. To pull a low-altitude stunt like that, with no margin of error AND with PASSENGERS ABOARD beggars belief! In 1997, all five were found guilty. The flight would take 130 passengers and 6 crew aloft. He had to spot the airfield from the air and prepare to do the overflight. On June 26, 1988, a very special Airbus A320 left Basel-Mulhouse Airport in Habsheim, France. Runway to pass over - again wrong. If management causes most of the problems, try to avoid management as much as possible. According to French law, Asseline was required to submit himself to the prison system before his case could be taken up by the Court of Cassation. I'm not sure about that detail), and crashed itself. Michel Asseline (Captain) After being sentenced, was temporarily banned from flying in France as part of a court agreement, moved to Australia and flew 737s. The Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series Mayday featured the accident and subsequent investigation in a season 9 episode titled "Pilot vs. He has admitted these mistakes and paid for them. If he maintained 100ft, the aicraft would've missed the 40ft trees! Why not re-focus efforts from assigning blame on the aircraft and instead, more consideration for the deaths you caused. [ 1,292 more word ] Get a job criticizing nobody blames you for doing that. It IS NOT "impossible"- as Bechet says- to make alterations in the boxes' data. 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. The A320 had been recently introduced, and Flight 296 was the first passenger flight of the A320. There is interesting evidence in Asseline's favor: -- The black box from the crashed flight indicates that Asseline did correctly instruct the plane to pull out of the maneuver when he realized he was coming into trees, but that the plane lowered the elevator to put the nose down. *Management often screws around. Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR, Military Aircraft your own Pins on Pinterest We thank you for your support and hope you'll join the largest aviation community on the web. Sorry but the pilot is at fault. Captain Asseline was initially sentenced to 6 months in prison along with 12 months of probation . In the US it's called ASAP. You have to take time to do so! This is a sad but fundamental truth lying at the heart of human nature. shameful arrogance! 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Put it into that situation the computer at fault, not the pilots ' commands! Mazire survived all!