YESTERDAY’S PRELIMINARY report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit into the Cork airport crash raises questions about European aviation regulation and whether new regulation is necessary, according to the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association.
Association president Capt Evan Cullen said such reports had a key role to play in air safety. The report, he said, “suggests that the pilots on board the aircraft had relatively limited training and limited experience, and it is possible that both of these factors were contributory factors in the crash”. Questions were needed on why the crew’s training and experience were limited, and on what changes needed to be made to regulations on selection and training of crews.
The comments were echoed by aviation law expert Jim Morris, acting for Beth Webster, partner of co-pilot Andrew Cantle (27). The decision to pair an inexperienced co-pilot with a newly promoted captain raised serious questions, Mr Morris said. Cork airport yesterday said it was making no comment on the report.
