SAS Crash Blamed on Errors, Airport

SAS Crash Blamed on Errors, Airport
CNN International

Wednesday, February 18, 2004 

  
ROME, Italy (AP) -- A final report into Italy's worst
civil aviation disaster -- the 2001 runway collision
of a Cessna jet and an SAS jetliner that killed 118 --
has blamed human error, poor weather and faulty
airport procedures. 

In a 182-page report, Italy's national air safety
agency said Wednesday the immediate cause of the crash
was that the Cessna veered into the wrong runway where
the jetliner was accelerating for takeoff. But it also
said that blame on the Cessna must be weighted against
other events. 

"Equally it can be stated that the system in place at
Milan-Linate airport was not geared to trap
misunderstandings, let alone inadequate procedures,
blatant human errors and faulty airport layout," the
report said. 

It said the inadequate procedures and poor layout
included: faulty signals on the runway and
miscommunication between air traffic controllers and
the pilots. 

The agency released similar findings in two
preliminary reports over the past two years. But in a
new element, Wednesday's report also faulted the
response by firefighters after the crash, saying their
reaction was poorly coordinated and slow. 

However, the head of the air safety agency, Bruno
Franchi, said a better response wouldn't have saved
lives since the victims died on impact. 

'Grief and loss'
The crash occurred on October 8, 2001, one of Linate's
frequent foggy mornings. A Copenhagen-bound
Scandinavian Airlines System jetliner was accelerating
for takeoff when a Cessna business jet crossed its
path. 

The planes collided, and the MD-87 jetliner careened
into a baggage hangar, killing all 110 people on
board, as well as the four people on the Cessna and
four ground crew. 

SAS chief executive Joergen Lindegaard said in a
statement Wednesday that Swedish investigators fully
agreed with the findings of the Italian report, and he
welcomed its release. 

"Oct. 8, 2001, will always be inscribed in SAS history
as a day of mourning," he said. "Grief and a deep
sense of loss for relatives, friends and co-workers
lingers, while at the same time we must move on with
our lives." 

The head of the company that runs Linate has described
the disaster as "absurd" and "avoidable," saying that
it could have been prevented if basic safety measures
had been followed. 

Ground radar at Linate had been pulled out of service
to be replaced by a new system that only went into
effect after the crash set off an outcry. 

Investigators also determined that the control tower
and the Cessna communicated in Italian and English
instead of the standard English-only. 

Lights, signs and striping on the runway were
confusing, and the Cessna pilot, taxiing around in the
fog, was never asked to read back the tower's
instructions. 


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