Precision Air crash: Experts see ‘blatant negligence’

Dar es Salaam. There were a number of officials who acted negligently before and after the Precision Air crash in Bukoba on Sunday, analysts say, calling upon the relevant authorities to take the necessary action.

Precision Air’s 48-seater 5H-PWF, ATR42-500 – carrying 39 passengers (38 adults and one infant) and four crew members – crashed into Lake Victoria at 8.53am as it was flying from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba.

Nineteen people died in the accident, while 24 survived and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

As a ceremony to hand over the bodies of the victims to their families was held in Bukoba yesterday, analysts said the crash revealed glaring and recurring shortfalls in Tanzania’s preparedness for emergency and rescue operations.

While some of the issues will be answered upon completion of investigations into the accident, several other parameters point to the fact that past accidents have had nothing to teach the country on how to handle rescue operations.

Experts say a pilot is always in constant contact with the control tower and this means that Captain Buruhani Rubaga, who was piloting the airplane, may have communicated the situation to the control tower at Bukoba Airport.

As such, the one manning the control tower should have communicated with other relevant departments, including the Fire and Rescue Force, on preparedness.

“In the communication, the pilot should provide details of his whereabouts; his landing readiness and the number of people on board. We don’t know if this was followed and the time at which the information was communicated from the control tower to the emergency department,” said an aviation expert, Mr Jimray Nangawe.

He said whenever a plane lands at an airport on emergency, the Fire and Rescue Brigade are usually put on alert.

“Nobody knows when the people responsible for responding to emergencies arrived at the scene. We only witnessed fishermen arriving first at the scene and rescue survivors,” he said.

“The authorities should be transparent if there is an undisclosed problem. Any challenges related to inadequate rescue equipment and disaster preparedness should be addressed and improved,” he added.

Mr Nangawe’s views were echoed by former International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) aerodrome engineer in the Eastern and Sub-Saharan office, Mr Bennie Mushumbusi, who said control towers and pilots constantly and frequently communicate.

He said control towers were the ones granting takeoff permission and providing appropriate altitudes for pilots to safely fly planes.

The secretary of the Tanzania Pilots Association (Tapa), Captain Khalil Iqbal, commended Bukoba residents for doing their best in the rescue mission, noting, however, that the crash has revealed an acute lack of equipment that is supposed to be used in rescue operations.

“We need to reexamine our rescue operations. I hope the authorities have seen what happened. If we could not effectively conduct a rescue mission for a small aircraft like that, what would we do if it were a much bigger plane?” Captain Iqbal posed.

He said it was worrying to note that the rescue exercise was conducted by fishermen using boats, noting that the way the mission was undertaken could potentially damage the pending investigations into the crash.

“The plane should have been pulled from the water with cranes attached to a boat. Pulling the crashed plane ashore may damage systems and make it difficult to conduct the investigations into the cause of the crash,” he said.

But the government said it has received all the views regarding the need for a rescue team that works and that it would work on them.

“Any event, good or bad, offers a learning opportunity. The government, under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, is taking these suggestions and we are going to work on them,” the Minister for Defence and National Service, Mr Innocent Bashungwa, said.

He said the government – through the Disaster Management Department, which is under the Prime Minister’s Office; the Ministry of Defence and National Service, as well as other securities agencies – would come up with ways of working with the private sector to improve rescue operations.

“We are going to make sure we have a database of rescue equipment in government as well as those available in the private sector so that when a disaster occurs, we have the ability and readiness to handle it,” said Mr Bashungwa.

Speaking during the ceremony to hand over bodies of the victims to their families, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa applauded efforts made by the pilot of the crashed aircraft, Captain Buruhani Rubaga, saying the plane coming down just 100 metres from the shore showed that he tried his best to save the lives of people on board.

“The efforts made by the pilots, and also the flight attendants were good and to the best of their ability, but in the end it was not enough,” he said.

Mr Majaliwa added that the relevant aviation bodies would conduct thorough investigations into the crash as per regulations governing air transport.

An expert in aviation who boasts 34 years’ experience in the field, Mr John Chambo, called on the public to allow experts to conduct their investigation without hindrance.

“All in all, frequent training and exercises will sharpen our skills. It’s too early to give speculative answers at this point,” said Mr Chambo.

Heads must roll

While experts discuss the issue with sobriety, other players say it was about time the government looked at who played their roles negligently so they can be held accountable.

ACT-Wazalendo vice chairperson Dorothy Semu said with the plane crashing only a few metres from the shore and rescue organs arriving late, it was only sensible for the appointing authority to fire the Kagera Regional Commissioner for failing to coordinate a rescue operation on time.

“The Head of State should also fire the ministers of Works, Transport and Communication and Home Affairs on accountability grounds,” reads part of a press release issued by the opposition party.

With the Disaster Management Department working under the Prime Minister’s Office, ACT-Wazalendo says it was about time the Premier also took political responsibility.

A disaster management expert, Mr James Mbatia, said what happened on Sunday was the highest level of systemic negligence as has happened in the past.

He said legislation was formulated in 2015 to introduce a disaster management agency, but it has not been executed due to lack of political will and negligence.

“Methods that were used in 1996 when MV Bukoba sank are the same that were used yesterday (Sunday),” he said.

“The agency was supposed to provide the country with disaster preparedness which is a common understanding to every citizen. Also, appropriate equipment such as boats, provision of towing techniques, provision of education and one centre of information,” he added.

Mr Mbatia wondered if a local fisherman was able to rescue nearly ten people, where were members of the defence and security forces such as navy experts in the region and modern equipment like helicopters.

A pilot with 40 years’ experience, who asked for anonymity, said they are usually advised to find another place for a safe landing if landing is impossible due to poor weather conditions.

“A safe landing would be followed by efforts to evacuate the occupants, call for rescue experts and explain the real on-board conditions, with the crew being the last to leave the aircraft whenever possible,” he said.

Furthermore, he said whenever there is uncertainty, the control tower is supposed to mobilise resources to save aircraft occupants from injury or to minimise such incidents.

“Important to note is that accidents are not all the same, and therefore require different handling methods and approaches, some conventional and others unconventional,” he said.

“Worst airports”

According to Captain Iqbal Bukoba and Arusha were the worst airports in Tanzania as far as taking off and landing were concerned.

“These two airports give pilots a very tough time during taking off and landing,” he told Mwananchi yesterday, noting that mountains close to the two airports and the bad weather in Arusha and Kagera regions were also a cause for concern.

He said there were a number of incidents whereby planes destined for Arusha were forced to land at Kilimanjaro International Airport while those destined for Bukoba land at Mwanza Airport.

Mr Mushumbusi, who has over 15 years’ experience in the construction of airport runways, navigation aids (Navaids) and airport power supplies, shared similar sentiments.

He said the Bukoba airport is located in a manner that does not provide safety assurance to planes and passengers using it.

He suggested that airports close to lakes like those in Mwanza, Bukoba and Kigoma should have fire tenders, fire extinguishers, fast boats and marine rescuers to immediately respond to such situations.