FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1988
INTERIM BULLETIN ON AIR CRASH RELEASED
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THE CHIEF INSPECTOR OF ACCIDENTS, WHO IS ALSO THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION, MR TREVOR THORPE, PUBLISHED AN INTERIM BULLETIN TODAY (FRIDAY) CONCERNING THE ACCIDENT INVOLVING A CAAC TRIDENT AIRCRAFT AUGUST 31.
ON
ON
THE BULLETIN, BASED
THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS, GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF THE FLIGHT UP TO THE POINT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED, THE ROUTES AND APPROACH PROCEDURES, COMMUNICATIONS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL DIRECTIONS, METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AS WELL AS THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE LICENCE AND EXPERIENCE OF THE FLIGHT CREW.
ACCORDING TO THE BULLETIN, THE AIRCRAFT HAD TO DEVIATE FROM ITS INTENDED ROUTE TO AVOID WEATHER ON ITS WAY TO HONG KONG.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS POSITIONED BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL BY SURVEILLANCE RADAR FOR AN INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 31 FROM THE SOUTHEAST OVER THE SEA, TO BE MONITORED BY TRAFFIC CONTROL ON THE PRECISION APPROACH RADAR SERVING THE RUNWAY.
AIR
SAME
AT ABOUT 9 AM THAT MORNING, THE SURFACE WIND WAS FIVE TO SIX KNOTS FROM THE SOUTHEAST, VISIBILITY 4,500 METRES IN RAIN AND THUS THE RUNWAY SURFACE WAS WET.
THE AIRCRAFT REPORTED AT 9.14 AM IT WAS INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM.
ESTABLISHED ON THE
THE PILOT WAS INFORMED AT 9.17 AM THAT THE PRECISION APPROACH RADAR WAS UNABLE TO PICK UP THE AIRCRAFT DUE ΤΟ SEVERE SIGNAL ATTENUATION BY RAIN AND WAS GIVEN CLEARANCE TO LAND.
THE AIRCRAFT ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIPT OF THE MESSAGE, WHICH WAS THE LAST RECORDED MESSAGE FROM IT, AND CONTINUED ITS APPROACH ON THE INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM FOR LANDING.
AT 9.19 AM, THE AIRCRAFT WAS FIRST OBSERVED BY THE DUTY OFFICER AT THE AIRPORT FIRE CONTINGENT SUB-STATION AT THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, TO PASS BY ON THE RUNWAY IN AN UNUSUAL. ATTITUDE AND THE ALARM WAS SOUNDED.
ITS RIGHT THE RIGHT, THE RUNWAY IN THE WATER IN
OTHER WITNESS REPORTS STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WITH WING TOUCHING THE GROUND, LEFT THE RUNWAY AND SLEWED TO CROSSED THE GRASSED AREA AND THE TAXIWAY, AND LEFT PROMONTORY BEFORE FINALLY COMING TO REST NOSE DOWN KOWLOON BAY.
THE AIRPORT CRASH AND RESCUE UNITS ARRIVED PROMPTLY ON THE SCENE AND LAUNCHED A RESCUE OPERATION, HELPING THE PASSENGERS ΤΟ SAFETY, MAINLY THROUGH TWO OF THE FOUR OVER-WING EMERGENCY EXITS AND THE ENTRANCE DOOR.
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