In safe hands? Think again

A look at some of the other cases where similar action on the part of the pilot was suspected:

Dec 1997: A Boeing 737 owned by SilkAir fell from almost 10,800 metres into a river bed on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing all 104 passengers and crew. Investigators zeroed in on the captain, and it was established both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder had been switched off. He had been demoted after irregularities in landing.Reports also claimed he was in financial difficulty and had taken out a large life insurance policy. But no official explanation was released.

Aug 1994: All 44 passengers and crew on a Royal Air Maroc ATR-42 turboprop died when the captain committed suicide by disengaging the autopilot at 4,600 metres.

One explanation for his action was a lovers' quarrel with his female co-pilot, picked up on the cockpit voice recorder.

Feb 1982: On his final approach into Tokyo-Haneda airport, the captain of a Japan Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-8deliberately engaged the engine reverse thrusters 300 metres from the end of the runway, sending the plane into Tokyo Bay, killing 24 passengers. He escaped prosecution for murder after he claimed a psychological ``aberration''.

Top

Printer-friendly page