Friday, March 28, 2008

Crash pilot was off official route; Slow probe in Mérida

Caracas Daily Journal (Jeremy Morgan): The crash in which an aircraft flew into a mountain in Mérida state killing all 46 people on board last February doesn't seem to be heading towards quick results any time very soon. According to El Universal, the "black box" that investigators hope will tell them what happened during Santa Barbara Airlines flight 518 still hasn't been delivered to French investigators. The machinery will reportedly be handed over on April 4.

In the meantime, reports claim that the weather radar on the aircraft wasn't working, and that the pilot picked a route other than the officially approved one. This may be a key detail.

At the time of the crash, the weather was said to be clear. But the theory now is that, by choosing the unauthorized route, pilot Aldino Granito flew into clouds, tried to climb out of them and hit the mountain known as Cara del Indio.

The route taken by Granito is said to be quicker and shorter, hence saving fuel and money. It's said other pilots in and out of Mérida fly the same route for the same reasons, and still are.

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