Question

The American Airlines Flight 965 near Cali, Colombia, while approaching the airport, the pilot intended to lock the autopilot onto the beacon, called Rozo, that would lead the plane to the airport. The pilot typed "R," and the computer system displayed six beacons beginning with "R." Normally, the closest beacon is at the top of the list. The pilot selected it without checking carefully. The beacon at the top of the list was "Romeo" and was more than 100 miles away, near Bogota. The plane turned more than 90 degrees and headed for Romeo. In the dark, it crashed into a mountain, killing 159 people.

Evaluating the incident, identify the reasons for failure of the system and what actions could prevent such incident to take place?

Answer 1

The primary reason behind the crashing of flight can be attributed to the auto pilot failure and navigational error. The flight crew's negligence, lack of clarity and the failure to monitor the several radio beacons properly misguided the pilots around the mountains and canyons which resulted in loosing control.

 

The action that could have prevented such navigational error would have necessary included calling for an intheory explanation of flight management systems' navigation computer that had these beacons already programmed so that pilots knew where to turn, climb, and descend, all the way from Miami to the terminal in Cali to prevent navigational failure.

 

The other reasons for the failure of the system included the inability of the flight crew to adequately plan and execute the approach to runway 19 and the failure of pilot to use adequate automation. The flight crew was unable to discontinue the approach into Cali even after receiving warnings and alert about the approach.

 

The introduction of an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) could have prevented the accident which was later introduced by the airlines.