Air India Responsible for May 2010 Crash
In George’s Point of View
Crew Resource management (AKA Cockpit Resource Management) came about as a resource for competent pilots with deficient people skills. This is crucial because a pilot does not fly in a vacuum but as part of a team. CRM teaches pilots how to improve communication, a crucial supplement to normal training. CRM helps a crew avoid potentially antagonistic work environments, such as the one that occurred in Mangalore, on May 2010, the Air India Crash which killed 158.
It has come to light that Air India did not provide mandatory CRM training. This deficit is clearly reflected in pilot behavior, and violates international norms. The court of inquiry is considering inadequate CRM as a key factor in the Mangalore crash.
Anyone reading or hearing the transcript knows that leadership and decision making on this flight was not up to standard. The Captain failed to discontinue the ‘unstabilised approach’ after touching down halfway down the runway, and persisted in continuing with the landing, despite three calls from the First Officer to ‘go around’ and a number of warnings from EGPWS. If there had been adequate CRM training, the captain would have known to listen to the first officer and warnings; and barring that, the F.O would have known to follow his own (correct) judgement.
Air India Express did not even have a CRM safety training division.
