Cebu Pacific Pilot Error Investigated, Flight Operations Resume at Davao

Flights at the third busiest airport in the country finally resumed on the morning of June 5, 2013 following an incident involving a Cebu Pacific aircraft that halted operations at Davao International Airport for more than two days stranding thousands of passengers and forcing the cancellation or diversion of dozens of flights. 

On Sunday evening, Cebu Pacific's A320 aircraft operating flight 5J 971 from Manila to Davao veered off the runway while attempting to land in bad weather. The aircraft remained at the side of the runway for two days as a team of experts from the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company determined a means to move the aircraft safely. They finally managed to clear the runway at around 7:00pm on June 4, 2013.

Photo Source: Cebu Pacific

Cebu Pacific CEO Lance Gokongwei publicly thanked the crew of the aircraft for their presence of mind and handling of the situation that led to the safe evacuation of all 165 passengers without any severe injuries. But passengers onboard the flight along with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are viewing the actions of the crew with less generosity. 

Deputy General John Andrews of the CAAP stated in a press conference on Tuesday that the evidence gathered points to pilot error as a possible cause of the incident. The aviation authorities are investigating the rough landing of the aircraft and why passengers were forced to wait fifteen minutes to disembark from the aircraft. 

More than 80 scheduled flights to and from Davao International Airport were cancelled or diverted due to the closure of the airport's runway. The CAAP had issued an ultimatum to Cebu Pacific to have the aircraft removed from the runway by 3:00pm on Tuesday or the agency would intervene. The extraction of the aircraft was delayed due to the careful salvaging efforts required to minimize further damage to the aircraft.

Early reports following the incident suggested that the runway lights at Davao airport were off as the aircraft was landing. But Andrews says that the report is not true and that there was no loss of power at the airport during that time period. While power failure of the runway lights may not be a cause of the incident, Andrews is pointing to the fact that possible pilot error is quite likely. The continuing investigation will evaluate all of the circumstances that led to the incident including the actions of the airline and any individuals in a position of responsibility. Reports from passengers had indicated that when the pilot emerged from the aircraft, he blamed the incident on the failure of the wiper blade of the aircraft's windshield. But Andrews said that if the wipers were not functioning, the pilot should not have proceeded to land.

Passengers are outraged over the incident and are voicing their concerns through all possible channels including social media. Joel Almario, Vice Governor of Davao Oriental, who was a passenger on board the aircraft, stated that the staff and crew of Cebu Pacific were not prepared to handle a crisis situation. He cited the delayed evacuation from the plane which took more than 15 minutes in addition to the fact that no transportation was available to shuttle passengers to the terminal. Once in the terminal, two hours elapsed without any food, doctor, or staff available to discuss the incident. Almario says that the passengers are considering a class action law suit against the airline. Those concerns were also echoed by the President of Ateneo de Davao University, Fr. Joel Tabora. He wrote a scathing letter accusing the airline staff of insensitivity and ineptness in dealing with the passengers of the aircraft. He highlighted their inability to address and calm the passengers onboard the aircraft leaving the work to be done instead by fellow passengers.

While Cebu Pacific acknowledges that there were possible lapses in how the ground crew handled affected passengers, the airline insists that the cabin crew followed protocol as far as handling the passengers on board the aircraft is concerned. The airline claims that because the crew did not see any imminent danger and there were no onboard emergencies or injuries, the crew made a decision that was in the best interests of disembarking passengers safely. The airline refers to this as "precautionary disembarkation." According to Candace Iyog, the Vice President of Marketing & Distribution at Cebu Pacific, the in-flight crew followed all of the necessary and appropriate protocol and procedures.

But Andrews of the CAAP who also happens to be a former pilot quickly countered that statement when he said, "We were together in Cebu Pacific at one time. You were a flight attendant. The standard operating procedure for any emergency situation like this is for the captain to immediately order an immediate evacuation which should be done within 3 minutes. The passengers remaining inside the aircraft for more than 20 minutes is a violation of this principle, and the CAAP will take that into account."

Other aviation experts seem to agree with Andrew's remark. Aviation expert Benjamin Solis who is a former Philippine Airlines pilot and strategy consultant for Clark airport said that standard operating procedures in the aviation industry dictate that in an emergency situation, the cabin crew is to "immediately evacuate" passengers. He continued that an aircraft in an emergency situation is like a sinking ship. There is no toying around it because it may not be safe to remain inside the cabin. "When an aircraft lands where it is not supposed to be, the pilot calls for an immediate evacuation," said Solis. "The cabin crew then must immediately open the doors and put out the slides as quick as possible." Solis also added that Davao Airport's fire and rescue team should have attended to the aircraft within two and a half minutes following the incident. But reports suggest it took emergency crews nearly fifteen minutes to arrive. Solis stressed that this is the global safety standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for airports all over the world. Ironically, the ICAO recently completed an audit of Philippine aviation safety protocol where they found that the previous shortcomings and significant safety concerns in the country had been addressed. While Cebu Pacific continues to blame weather, Solis insists that regardless of weather conditions, emergency procedures must be followed.  But Cebu Pacific argues that it was not an emergency and the crew did not observe any pending threats to the aircraft or passengers.

Both passengers and the Civil Aviation Authority are focusing their investigation on the actions of the pilot. Nino Alinsub, a Davao businessman, posted a detailed account of events on board the flight. In his observations, he noted that one of the pilots kept using the lavatory during the short flight. He stated that the pilot in question used the lavatory four times over the duration of the flight and each time emerged from the lavatory looking "dazed." He also noted that the pilot asked one of the flight attendants to prepare a cup of coffee for him. 

Meanwhile, Andrews of the CAAP is saying that the pilot failed to follow established operating procedures of the Airbus A320 aircraft against a crosswind. At the time of landing, the crosswind speed was around 12 knots. While that speed is still considered safe to operate a routine landing, the pilot should have banked towards the direction of the crosswind in order to stay on the runway's center line. Andrew also showed a graphic that demonstrated the area where the aircraft initially touched down on the runway. "The right wheel touched down very, very close to the edge of the grass portion. It travelled only a few hundred meters before it hit the grassy portion. That is why passengers said they felt a strong vibration. During this time, the captain had engines in full reverse, that's why a lot of debris was thrown toward the runway. So I will assume that both engines were damaged because of this," Andrews said.

Copyright Photo: Eric Apolonio/InterAksyon.com

The detailed investigation will also involve tracing the pilot's rest time prior to the incident along with all meals prior to the flight. Such factors could have impaired the performance in the cockpit according to Andrews. Both pilots who are now grounded pending investigation, underwent medical examination immediately following the incident. Andrews reaffirmed that both pilots were qualified to fly the Airbus A320 aircraft and had experience on regional flights. The captain had logged 1,600 hours on the aircraft while the co-pilot logged 700 hours.

As part of the on-going investigation, the flight data recorder of the aircraft has since been recovered. The flight data recorder will determine the transmissions between the pilot and the control tower along with engine indications. The unit will be sent to Singapore for analysis. Early indications suggest that the landing gear of the aircraft were functioning properly prior to the incident and that nothing was wrong with the aircraft's engines. Andrews added that another Cebu Pacific aircraft was able to land safely without incident just two minutes prior to the accident. "We now have the evidence to state for a fact that pilot error was involved. It's not the aircraft. No problem with the aircraft," Andrews said. "As of now, we can make an educated guess that this particular flight was similar to the accident that Cebu Pacific had some time in 2011. Conditions were somewhat similar, and there was a cross wind factor." Andrews was referring to a similar accident that occurred in 2011 when a Cebu Pacific aircraft overshot the runway in Puerto Princesa. There were no casualties. A repeat of the same accident raises questions of the experience and training of Cebu Pacific pilots.

The flight that overshot the runway in Davao was flown by Captain Antonio Roel Oropesa and First Officer Edwin Perello. While the aircraft may have been removed from Davao Airport's runway and all passengers have now returned safely to their homes, Cebu Pacific's troubles are far from over. The Davao city government stated that it would provide legal assistance to any passenger interested in filing a complaint against Cebu Pacific over the way the airline mishandled the crisis. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio of Davao said that she would tap the city government's lawyers to assist passengers determined to sue Cebu Pacific and Davao airport authorities. 

Meanwhile, passengers are continually frustrated by on-going comments by Cebu Pacific that they were doing everything to take care of passengers. Passenger Marlin Bo, a former member of the Philippine Navy and expert in crisis management, reported that the crews and staff seemed to be more concerned about what happened to the plane than the passengers. Bo stated that he intends to expose Cebu Pacific for its shortcomings by filing a lawsuit to protect the safety of passengers in the future. He even alleged that after the front emergency exit was opened and five passengers disembarked, both the pilot and first officer got off the plane leaving the remaining panicked passengers behind. "It's an abandonment of responsibility," Bo said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Bo recalled that he asked if there were soldiers, police, nurses, or doctors available to assist but nobody volunteered. So he had to ask the two flight stewards to stay so that they would calm the panicking passengers.