Speculation yesterday mounted that a misleading map issued by Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA,
The CAA, however, has consistently dismissed the possibility that any mistake on its part was to blame for the accident.
The jet, as the ASC confirmed last week, had attempted to take off on a runway closed for repair. Smashing into barriers and heavy construction machinery on the airstrip which was undergoing partial repairs, the plane exploded in stormy weather while Typhoon Xangsane thrashed the island with torrential rain and high winds. The accident killed 82 of the 179 people aboard the ill-fated flight.
A Cathay Pacific spokesperson said a map with wrong information about the closure date of runway 05R, the airstrip on which the jumbo jet crashed, was given by Taiwan officials to airlines before the accident.
The 05R runway is parallel to runway 05L, to which the pilot should have taken the airliner for takeoff.
The spokesperson for Cathay Pacific said that according to the map, runway 05R was to be closed for repair effective at 1am on Nov. 2 (last Thursday) local time, when in fact it had been out of service for takeoffs and landings since Sept. 13. The crash occurred on Oct. 31.
On the other hand, the Aviation Safety Council (ASC,
However, a Cathay Pacific pilot argued that confusion brought about by the map could have misled pilots in terms of understanding the situation at the airport. "A pilot cannot rely completely on the control tower," he said, indicating that a pilot needs to check all information available, such as maps issued by officials, to fully confirm essential information ensuring safety of the flight.
The CAA's Air Traffic Service Division said responsibility lies with it to update and distribute maps to airlines, including SIA. But the division argued that the map was not the most up-to-date version and that changes were made to subsequent versions.
SIA has refused to comment further on the speculation about contributing factors in the accident.
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