Gulf | Yemen
Yemenia official rules out human or technical error in plane crash
A senior Yemeni aviation official has dismissed the possibility of a technical or human error being behind the crash of a Yemenia aircraft into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands last month.
- By Zaher Bitar, Staff Reporter
- Published: 22:31 July 30, 2009
Dubai: A senior Yemeni aviation official has dismissed the possibility of a technical or human error being behind the crash of a Yemenia aircraft into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands last month.
Muneer Mohammad Jahwash, area manager of the Yemenia airline in Dubai and Northern Emirates, told Gulf News: "We are 100 per cent sure that there is no possibility of any technical or human error that caused the Yemenia plane crash, and we have evidence to prove this."
On June 30, Yemenia Flight 626 crashed on its way from Sana'a, Yemen, to Moroni, Comoros, killing all but one of the 153 people on board.
Jahwash said Moroni Airport control did not receive a distress signal from the pilot or even make an emergency call before the plane crashed.
He added: "However the pilot was communicating with the control centre just minutes before the aircraft disappeared raising no problem in the plane."
"This means that plane didn't encounter mechanical problems and the cause of the crash is still unknown."
Moreover, the basic record summary for the aircraft A310-300 reveals that it was subjected to comprehensive checks on May 2, 2009, under the supervision of Airbus.
The plane was first delivered from the Airbus production line in 1990 and operated by Yemenia in 1999. It was powered by Pratt and Whitney engines PW4152 and had accumulated 53,400 flight hours.
On reports of France having banned the plane, Jahwash said: "This is completely untrue. Yemenia operates a modern fleet of aircraft and strictly follows international maintenance and training standards.
"Consequently, the EU didn't include Yemenia on the black list which they issued a week ago."
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