One of many nice issues in regards to the aviation trade is that we collectively be taught from each accident, and that causes the trade to grow to be safer over time. Alongside these strains, China is outright refusing to reveal the reason for the nation’s most deadly accident in historical past (the deadliest in 30 years), over “nationwide safety and social stability” considerations.
China refuses to disclose accident investigation outcomes
In March 2022, we noticed a China Japanese Boeing 737-800 crash whereas working a home flight inside China. This was a mysterious accident, because the aircraft all of the sudden entered a nosedive whereas at cruise altitude, and crashed into the bottom. To state the plain, these sorts of accidents are exceedingly uncommon.
As you’d anticipate, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was main the investigation, although transparency hasn’t precisely been a precedence. Round two years after the accident, the CAAC issued an up to date report, claiming that the crash was “very difficult and uncommon.”
Whereas regulators didn’t state what induced the accident, they dominated out many components. The company reported there have been no abnormalities with plane management instructions or with radio communication, there was no dangerous climate within the space, the aircraft wasn’t carrying any harmful items, and the pilots had been totally licensed. As you would possibly guess, that exposed little or no in regards to the precise reason for the investigation.
So there’s now a regarding replace, as flagged by Jon Ostrower. A authorities data disclosure request was filed in China concerning this accident, demanding extra particulars on the progress of the investigation. That request was denied by the CAAC. The rationale? “Disclosure could endanger nationwide safety and social stability.” This choice was made in accordance with Article 14 and Article 36(3) of the Rules on the Disclosure of Authorities Data.
This can be a very alarming precedent to set
What can actually be mentioned right here? I simply discover it unconscionable {that a} authorities would actively cowl up the outcomes of an accident investigation, based mostly on the worry that “disclosure could endanger nationwide safety and social stability.”
Within the weeks following the accident, sources with data of the matter (however not talking on the document) advised that the accident was intentional. Now, that doesn’t inform us who induced the aircraft to crash.
Most of the time, if somebody takes down the aircraft deliberately with no communication to air visitors management, it’s one of many pilots, since they’re those with entry to the flight deck. After all one other type of terrorism can also’t be dominated out.
The difficulty with not revealing the small print of an investigation is that nothing might be realized from it, and aviation can’t get safer. For instance, if the nation believes it was one of many pilots who took down the aircraft, has a two particular person flight deck rule been carried out, to make sure there are all the time no less than two individuals within the flight deck? In any case, traditionally most pilot suicides have occurred when pilots had been alone within the flight deck.
It’s actually onerous to think about the security of an aviation ecosystem when regulators aren’t even keen to be clear about the reason for an accident.
Backside line
China is refusing to disclose the reason for a March 2022 China Japanese Boeing 737 accident, which was the nation’s deadliest aviation accident in three a long time. An official report has dominated out quite a lot of components, however regulators are refusing to share something additional, claiming that “disclosure could endanger nationwide safety and social stability.”
What do you make of China’s refusal to share the reason for the 2022 China Japanese accident?
