A Malaysian pilots association voiced concern yesterday over accusations against pilots involved in the Singapore Airlines plane crash last month, joining a number of international organizations that have raised concerns.
The Ministry of Justice has not ruled out filing criminal charges against the three pilots of Singapore Airlines' flight SQ006. Prosecutors have defended their probe of the accident.
The Malaysia Airlines Pilots' Association yesterday called the accusations against the three pilots "hasty," and said no conclusions should be drawn before a full investigation is completed.
On Oct. 31, the Singapore Airlines pilots had attempted to take off on a runway closed for repair, plowing into barriers and construction machinery, killing 82 of the 179 people on board.
The nation's Civil Aeronautics Administration has consistently pointed to pilot error as the sole factor in the disaster, yet the Aviation Safety Council is examining the role of CKS airport's operations and facilities, including the control tower.
Local prosecutors looking into the crash have also said the three pilots could face criminal charges.
Mohamed Johan, chairman of the Malaysian pilots association, said "the pilots should be able to participate [in the investigation] without fear of punitive action."
The Ministry of Justice -- after consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the aviation safety council on Tuesday -- concluded that prosecutors had a right to probe the accident in tandem with aviation officials.
The role of the prosecutors is to determine whether criminal charges should be brought, while the role of the Aviation Safety Council is to improve flight safety.
International aviation organizations, including the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations and the Flight Safety Foundation -- based in Britain and the US respectively -- have disapproved of the idea of criminal charges, which could include manslaughter through professional negligence.
Both groups said the threat of criminal charges would intimidate the three pilots: Malaysian captain Foong Chee Kong and co-pilots Latiff Cyrano and Ng Kheng Leng, both from Singapore. That would in turn hinder the flow of information helpful in identifying all factors possibly contributing to the accident.
Aviation organizations say the purpose of probing an accident's cause is to prevent future disasters.
"The accident investigation process should take priority over any judicial proceedings," the Flight Safety Foundation said in a statement to Taiwan aviation officials yesterday.
Taiwan authorities should not "inhibit in any fashion the work of the independent accident investigation team," the group said.
Pilots' associations here and in the US and Singapore also share the same concerns. International aviation organizations have warned that a boycott of Taiwan might take place if prosecutors charge the Singapore Airlines pilots.
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