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Altimeter in Fatal Amsterdam Plane Crash Known to be Faulty

by Tina Kells | March 4, 2009 at 09:30 am

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The investigation into the Amsterdam plane crash at Schiphol airport has yielded startling information that the altimeter on the Turkish Airlines craft was known to be faulty. Dutch Safety Board chairman Pieter van Vollenhoven made the announcement at a press conference today.

Dutch Safety Board chairman Pieter van Vollenhoven said the plane was landing on automatic pilot and the problem with the altimeter led to a loss of speed.

He said the aeroplane had twice before reported problems with its altimeter.

The Turkish Airlines plane crashed just short of the runway. It hit the ground tail-first and broke into three pieces.

The Boeing 737-800 had been carrying 127 passengers and seven crew. Four Americans and five Turks died, including the captain and two other members of the crew. Dozens were injured, many critically.

While investigators have not placed the blame for the crash on the faulty altimeter the fact that it was a known issue is a point of concern. The plane registered a ground level altitude when it was still nearly 2000 feet in the air and this malfunction is believed to have contributed to the crash.

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jazzyzazzy

at 09:20 on March 5th, 2009

well I did ? how often the mechanics serviced the planes..So who is to blame here. Or is this what is called a man made error?God bless the mechanics i would not like to carry that burden knowing that because I did not do my job right,the result was fatal.