A-320 CRUSH KEY TOPIC OF ARMENIA’S PRESS
ArmRadio.am
14.08.2006 21:05
The crash of Armavia’s A-320 and the investigation of its causes
continue being the key topic of the Armenian press, especially after
the crash of Siberia’s A-310, Arminfo reported.
When A-320 crashed, the International Aviation Committee (IAC)
said semi-officially that the crash was caused by the fault of the
pilots. After the crash in Irkutsk, IAC also hurried to blame the
crew, but this time, unlike the A-320 case, it faced much stronger
resistance and later said it was caused by technical problems.
The newspaper cites a document adopted by Russia’s Federation Council
in July: "The recent chain of air accidents within a short period of
time has proved that there is an urgent need to improve the technical
control over airports and planes and to raise the qualification of
air personnel. In the last years Russia’s civil aviation sector has
got into serious crisis." The Russian senators specially noted the
necessity of delimiting the powers of certification and air accident
investigation. The logic is that a crash may well happen through the
fault of the one who has issued the certificate. So, it is inadmissible
that IAC control its own self.
The last two big air crashes – A-320 and A-310 – have vividly shown
what negative consequences self-control may have, say Armenian experts.
Iravunk says it is not for the first time that the Kremlin questions
IAC’s efficiency. In 2003, after IAC’s ban on IL-86 flights, Vice
Speaker of Russia’s State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky said: "They
have put a ban on the safest air liner. 5 Boeings fall every year,
and our Transaero (company whose 45% belong to the family of IAC
Chairwoman Tatiana Anodina and 3.25% to her personally) is engaged
in lobbying. Why did they ban IL-86? Because Transaero buys only
foreign planes. This will only benefit them, while for our economy
this will be a heavy blow, and huge money will again start flowing
out of the country."
After the ban on IL-86, the State Duma asked the Russian President
to consider stopping IAC’s activities. They said: "The State Duma
believes that the International Aviation Committee, set up in 1991,
does not contribute to the strengthening of the aviation security as
IAC has undertaken functions it didn’t have initially: certification
of radio-technical equipment, engines and signal systems of Russian
planes. As a non-governmental organization IAC does not pay taxes from
the profits it gets from certification and spends colossal sums to meet
its own purposes rather than to raise the aviation security. With both
the certification and air crash investigation functions in its hands,
IAC prefers to say that all air crashes are caused by "human factor"
rather than by the state of air equipment."
Such combination of functions permits the IAC not to be responsible for
air catastrophes and lay all the blame on the pilots. The deputies of
the Russian Parliament considered that certification of airplanes and
air crash investigations must be realized by structures, controlled by
the Government. They came to conclusion that the IAC activity on the
territory of the Russian Federation does not benefit the country. The
deputies found at last necessary to dismiss IAC and establish national
governmental structures for the supervision on civil aviation.
Those days the Russian press reported that the IAC gave permission
for "Il" flights and started active lobbying in order to prevent its
dismissal from Russia. Taking into account that the Committee exists so
far, it is clear that the lobbying was a success. The Committee also
managed to make use of its status of an international structure. It
was found in 1991 by the initiative of 12 states and has never been
reformed since then, although numerous constitutor countries left
it for different reasons. The officers of the IAC have immunity
and are not to be brought to any criminal responsibility even after
their resignation.
Thus, the Committee can cause the state a damage of many million
dollars (by such groundless prohibition of "Il-86" flights) and suffer
no punishment for that. IAC will not be brought to responsibility even
in case it is found out that the ArmAvia A-320 air liner crashed at
the fault of the Sochi airport, certified by the IAC. It must also
be noted that since 1991 head of IAC Tatiana Anodina has had status
of a Russian Federal Minister, although the Committee has never been
a part of the Federal system.
The Armenian ‘Iravukn’ newspaper calls upon the Civil Aviation
Department and the Government of Armenia to make certain obvious
conclusions of the A-320 crash investigation story. To the opinion
of ‘Iravaunk’ staff it is important that independent international
structures once again investigate the catastrophe. Their impartial
estimation would permit the Armenian aviators to decide whether the
activity of the IAC is welcome in Armenia or not. ‘Iravunk’ says it
is time for the Armenian aviation to take example of Russia and start
thinking of developing the aviation system of Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
