Whenever I can, I watch as many shows as I can on Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the History Channel. I find most, not all mind you, of the shows very informative, especially for someone in my line of work where information is always key. But I try to avoid watching “Air Crash Investigations” for obvious reasons. Especially before I go on a flight myself! After watching a couple of episodes a long time ago, it seems so easy to bring these machines down from the sky. A mistake here and there, an error here and there. Even the smallest oversight can cause the biggest tragedies.
But if there is one thing that happens at the end of each episode, at least I think that is still what happens since I last saw an episode, is that airlines and aviation authorities all over the world learn from these tragedies, from these mistakes, from these oversights, even from the corruption that have been exposed, and strive to make aviation a lot safer than it was the day before. The crash of Sec. Jesse Robredo’s plane is I hope, one example.
The official results of the investigation have come out, and surprise, surprise, pilot error, poor maintenance, corruption have all surfaced. Based on the data that have been gathered, Capt. Jessup Bahinting should have turned back towards Cebu at the first sign of trouble. The right engine of the Piper Seneca that they were flying started to act up 23 minutes into the flight. That meant he was only 23 minutes away from Mactan. But he decided to push on, since both engines were still running. This is actually very Filipino, sad to say. We only need to look at the records of accidents that involved public utility and commercial vehicles. I’m sure that before their brakes failed and their vehicles plowed into walls, posts, other vehicles and even people, they were already showing signs of breaking down. But they were ignored, in exchange for continued operation, for continued profits!
In the case of Sec. Robredo’s flight, we don’t know why Capt. Bahinting continued to fly on to Naga, against better judgment. Perhaps he did not want to disappoint his important passenger, who made known how important it was for him to reach Naga. But that was the first mistake. Additionally, Capt. Bahinting was apparently not certified for a “one-engine inoperative emergency” situation. This was apparently evident by his deploying his flaps and landing gear prematurely, causing the aircraft to slow down to a fatal stall. Something the aircraft enthusiasts should know about. Two fatal pilot errors that sealed the fate of the plane, and three of its passengers.
What the investigation has further uncovered was the corruption that was prevalent within the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in its issuance of certifications and licenses. Apparently, one could just “buy” a certification or license! And the CAAP covers pilots, planes, aviation companies like Aviatours and even aeronautical schools! Just how many of these unworthy certificates and licenses have already been issued by corrupt CAAP personnel? Shouldn’t the slate be wiped totally clean and everyone should be subject to a more official certification? Or do we wait for another plane to come down?
Leni Robredo has accepted the findings of the investigation. That, I hope, has somehow brought closure to the incident. But she does hope that we learn from whatever was discovered, from whatever was uncovered. And if there are those that have to be punished, so be it. If reforms have to be made, please do so. So even in her husband’s death, good still comes out of it.