HCMC – Terming the aviation incident involving a Vietjet passenger aircraft skidding off a runway in HCMC last weekend as “serious”, Transport Minister Nguyen Van The noted that it was mainly the fault of the pilot.
Amid the heavy downpour and strong winds on Sunday afternoon, the pilot should have accurately evaluated the weather conditions before landing to ensure safety.
He received instructions from air traffic controllers while landing, but he has the right to decide whether to land or not. He could have asked for permission to divert the plane and land at another airport, the minister told the local media on the sidelines of the ninth session of the 14th National Assembly on June 15.
The official noted that an investigation team from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) would decode the plane’s black box to determine why the pilot decided to touch down amid the poor weather conditions.
Commenting on a CAAV press release stating that the weather was the leading cause of the incident, Minister The said the CAAV investigators would work to determine the exact cause of the accident and announce their final decision.
The CAAV team will also inspect the role of the air traffic controllers involved in the incident. The local carrier Vietjet, its pilot and any relevant units will be dealt with in line with prevailing regulations if they are found to be at fault, the head of the transport authority remarked.
The two foreign pilots operating the plane that skidded off the runway have been suspended from service and their licenses have been seized pending the investigation.
