Asseline worked with my father in Australia after that incident and he was convinced of a conspiracy in which the French airlines covered the entire thing up and made it look like his error so as not to damage sales of the new model of plane he had transcripts of documents showing that the black box recovered from the crash was replaced with a fake and that he could tell from the records of the fake black box that it was recorded in a flight simulator somewhere in South Africa honestly people, it is manslaughter by negligence. Spectral analysis of the engine sounds indicated that 0.6 seconds later, both engines had reached 91% (by this stage, they were starting to ingest vegetation). 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. He told his history in his book "Le pilote est-il coupable?" I'm definitely beside the driver. Captain Michel Asseline asserted that the altimeter read 30m (100'). In order to accomplish the desk-pilots orders, the pilots valuable time was spent jiggering the preparations for the overflight, not allowing him to evaluate strategic details like why fly a plane at 30 feet if there are 100-foot trees at the end? Self: Air Crash Investigation. [1] Where are pilots who make mistakes? He is now flying in Australia. It threatened to ruin the reputation of the A320, potentially losing many millions of dollars in sales. [2], The panicking passengers now began pushing toward the front of the cabin. Some seconds later the aircraft touched the tops of the trees behind the runway and crashed into a forest. This was the first fatal crash of an Airbus A320. A very unfortunate event in history! [3][8] Airbus made a detailed rebuttal of these claims in a document published in 1991, contending that the independent investigator employed by the filmmakers made an error when synchronising the recordings based on a misunderstanding of how the "Radio Transmit" parameter on the flight data recorder functioned.[9]. Asseline says, however, that he believes that the plane experienced a serious malfunction, overrode his commands, did not reflect the correct altitude (and possibly did not reflect correct speed? Safety is the first thing I learned and the last from my instructors. In the US it's called ASAP. He is dangerous and shouldn't be flying. Trending. But it's all about me and you. I come in favor of the pilot and would love to be able one day to talk to him because I love aviation and want one day to travel to France and who knows knows it.paulinho@rapix.com.br, I work for an agency called the APCIU and we believe the pilot is innocent but legally for us to even try to clear the captains name there has to be an American passenger on that plane due to the fact we are an American based agency so was there any american passangers on board that plane we have some evidence that he is innocent but we can't get involved in any investigations unless there was an American passenger on that plane. 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. Get a job criticizing nobody blames you for doing that. Finally, the aircraft would return to Paris. Who went to prison? Ascending at such an angle would lead to the planes stalling within minutes. then 'cause he climb down? Case Study 9: Leap of Faith Summary: In the case study, Captain Michel Asseline piloted the brand new Airbus A320 for the airshow in France. ), The Prison of Precision by Stephen Vaughn MD, Ph.D. Plane" and included an interview with Captain Michel Asseline, survivors, and accident investigators.[10]. If I did know their names I certainly would not tell you. Air France would have just replaced him. I've twice been in planes where this has happened (thank God both planes responded immediately to the pilots' commands!) [2], During the impact, the right wing was torn off, and the spilling fuel ignited immediately. Who went to prison? Everyone thought it was a no-brainer for the A320 to wow this crowd. It then takes one second more to go from 67 to 83% N1. One was a disabled boy in seat 4F who was unable to move. Captain Asseline flew the aircraft manually. If you change the pilots cap for a lab coat, arent you Captain Michel Asseline, too? [2] Additionally, the captain was expecting from the flight plan to do the pass over runway 02 (3,281 feet (1,000m) long, paved) and was preparing for that alignment. Anyone who has worked the same job for many years knows that your job after so long becomes second nature to you. Discover (and save!) A lot may have to do with corporate, national or ethnic culture, the severity of the incident, if the country the crash/incident has an attitude of criminalizing the acts of pilots (like in Brazil) or prior significant acts of error of the pilot in question. I'm just a hard worker who made it a point to learn my job inside and out - why? In 1997, all five were found guilty. 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. I don't know how passenger survived. His co-pilot, Pierre Mazieres, got a 12-month suspended sentence. Asseline's experience of flying the aircraft type at the outer limits of its flight performance envelope may have led to overconfidence and complacency. Theres many more lessons to be learned about the practice of medicine from the story of Prisoner Michel Asseline sorry, Captain Michel Asseline. I, personally, do not agree with the conclusions reached in this aircraft accident report. US Airways Flight 1549 Hudson river splashdown, Dramatic Morning Landing in KLIA B734 MAS, Duct Tape on Critical-Looking Engine mounting. I want to do a good job and take pride in my work. In reality, that only ensures that one pilot never makes the mistake again. Menu. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Most of the public believes Airbus' controls systems were the root cause of this crash, or at least a major part of it. He cannot blame the Aircraft for not reacting as he wanted to when it was extremly low and right above stall speed. I am appalled that the court found fit to blaim teh air carsh mainly on Captain Michel Asseline, as so many faults were made (like the height instructions, missing of the forrest, etc.). I think it much more likely that he applied power well before that, as he claims. Pilot was sentenced to imprisonment for about a year. In order to accomplish the desk-pilots orders, the pilots valuable time was spent jiggering the preparations for the overflight, not allowing him to evaluate strategic details like why fly a plane at 30 feet if there are 100-foot trees at the end? Flight deck crew. You are Captain Michel Asseline. All the passengers survived the initial impact, but a woman and two children died from smoke inhalation before they could escape after struggling to unfasten the seatbelt. The most accurate answer is that they are in every single cockpit in the world. shameful arrogance! The tape speed was set using the 400Hz frequency of the aircraft's electrical supply and then synchronised with the air traffic control recordings, which included a time track.[2]. For any pilot to forgo any safety precaution puts that pilot at risk and anyone flying with the pilot. The pilot and copilot were charged and convicted of three counts of involuntary manslaughter in the French criminal courts. Three seconds later, the undercarriage is extended. He knowingly took the passengers and aircraft into a dangerous situation, purposefully disabled some of the safeties (i.e. I have seen TV shows where he was even interviewed. It would not open, which was fortunate as there was by that time a fire on the left wing. Discover (and save) your own Pins on Pinterest. I don't think so. Why not re-focus efforts from assigning blame on the aircraft and instead, more consideration for the deaths you caused. However, where they failed was in communicating these "bugs" or problems to all flight personnel flying the aircraft. 12:45:15 - the aircraft, now at 90 feet (27m), begins a deviation to the right (maximum bank angle: 30) to line up with the grass strip 34R. Claiming he couldnt hear or read the radio altimeter is ridiculous. [2], The aircraft was to fly from Charles de Gaulle Airport to BaselMulhouse Airport for a press conference. It is a fact of life that no human is perfect, and every one will make errors at some stage. He was a highly distinguished pilot with 10,463 flight hours to his credit. 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. I sincerely believe that AirBus was involved but not with a planned coverup. 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. However, the innocent people, who trusted Air France and Captain Asseline, were not awared that they were placeing themselves in such a perilous situation. Then, as she was helping another passenger whose clothes were on fire, she was carried forward by the surge of people rushing to escape. A further ten seconds later, 'Flaps 2' is selected. *Whos going to fly the goddamn airplanes in the future? 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. Aside from the strong evidence that Air France, Airbus and the nation itself may well have had a hand in falsifying data related to the crash, there are several very important points to take away in this very sad and tragic story. auto throttle at one of the floor limits) misjudged the situation (the length of the runway, and altitude of the plane), and didn't know the performance of the aircraft sufficiently well (engine spool up times) to safely perform the manoeuvre he was undertaking. But upon seeing the Aerodrome, the pilot saw that the audience were gathered elsewhere, on Runway 34R. 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. After takeoff, eight minutes away, the Aerodrome came into view. This particular flight was the A320's first passenger flight (most of those on board were journalists and raffle winners). Everyone thought it was a no-brainer for the A320 to wow this crowd. Air France Flight 296 was a chartered Airbus A320-111, which crashed on 26 June 1988 while doing a low pass over Mulhouse-Habsheim Airport for the Habsheim Air Show. The A320 had been recently introduced, and Flight 296 was the first passenger flight of the A320. Michel Asseline was the pilot in command of F-GFKC, Pierre Mazire was his first officer, when the aircraft overflew the airfield at 2 pm in wonderful sunny weather. But now that the aircraft was performing its flyover at only thirty feet, the crew noticed the aircraft was lower than the now-identified hazard that they were fast approaching. [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. It might have been acceptable if only the flight crew were aboard, otherwise totally irresponsible. TOGA power is applied. [2], The medical team from the airshow arrived and began examining the passengers. [2], The pilots had each had a busy weekend and did not receive the flight plan until the morning of the flight. Heres a story about me and you. Any experienced pilot, or physician for that matter, smells disaster. I have a hard time believing that the pilot was literally four seconds from the trees when he applied power. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) continued to operate for about one second, then recorded nonsensical data for another two seconds. However, the elevators did not respond to the pilot's commands because the A320's computer system engaged its "alpha protection" mode (meant to prevent the aircraft from entering a stall). I feel he should have radioed in and asked if it was acceptable to switch runways. There are several "small" inconsistencies and anomalies throughout the entire accident report which have not been explained sufficiently for any critically-thinking investigatorSTILL.The crew did NOT make sure all the passengers were out before exiting themselves as per protocol, and then misinformed the captain that everyone was out. A court in Colmar, in eastern France, also sentenced pilot Michel Asseline to 12 additional months, which were suspended. Heres a story about me and you. The pilot was told, word-of-mouth, to do so. Interruption of the power occurred forward of the tail sectionmost probably in the wheel-well area, which was heavily damaged. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the June 26, 1988, crash at the Mulhouse-Habsheim air show. He was a highly distinguished pilot with 10,463 flight hours. Its FREE!!! He also claims he recognized that spectators were on a different runway than the one included in his flight plan. Defects come in all shades. Another was a girl in seat 8C, who was unable to remove her seatbelt (her older brother had removed his own seatbelt but was carried away by the rush of people before he could help his sister). Decisions can only be made after a proper investigation. The captain made a last-second turn and approach to overfly Runway 34R. His job was to find its limitations, but one slipped past him, and Airbus and all the designers and engineers. Thirty-four passengers required hospitalisation for injuries and burns.