Executive Summary - Fss.aero

procedure during an emergency situation is “MAYDAY” for perilous situations and
“PAN-PAN” for urgent situations.
Only Chapter 3 of China Airlines’ aviation handbook on the handling procedures of
personnel incapacitation as a medical emergency and Chapter 14 on radio
communication procedures during emergency situations do not state what the
conditions are for announcing a perilous or urgent emergency situation. According to
aviation control procedures, the incapacity of the pilot constituted an emergency
situation;
however, the co-pilot did not inform airport management personnel or Asian
Dispatch Center personnel that this situation was an emergency situation, which
affected the procedure.
2.4.3 Handling of Full Emergency Incidents
Because the pilot was incapacitated, the co-pilot landed the aircraft, which was very
dangerous. In the categorization of emergency situation by the International Civil
Aviation Organization, this incident should fall under Full Emergency. When the
aircraft landed prematurely, there was a risk of failure, the level barely at the solution
procedure at the time of the incident. Only because it did not standardize emergency
procedure for such situations and categorization of the incident was
procedure
for communication or for each unit was not comprehensive.
standby by the runway, to pull the aircraft to the parking
bay.
different, the
2.4.4 Transmission of request for ground towing car and read back procedures
According to the cockpit communication records, shortly after the co-pilot requested
for a return to base form the Taipei Area Control Center, the co-pilot told the Asian
Dispatch Center of China Airlines that the pilot has lost consciousness and that he was
requesting that ground support prepare a towing car to be on standby on the runway at
0821. (At 0821:36, the co-pilot said to the Asian Dispatch Center, “681 return to
Taipei. The pilot has lost consciousness. I am now returning to land in Taipei. Request
tow car to be on standby on the runway. I don’t want to taxi the aircraft…” In order to
ensure taxi safety, the flight personnel may not taxi the aircraft alone, according to
company policy. The co-pilot pointed out that he needed the towing car to be on
Interviews conducted with the Asian Dispatch Center people working during that shift
reveal that they did not hear the co-pilot request for a towing car to be on standby by
the runway. Consequently, when the aircraft landed safely at about 0850, there was no
towing car for support. It was only until 0852 when tower asked the co-pilot if he
needed a towing car for assistance and reminded the co-pilot to ask the Asian
Dispatch Center on how it is progressing with the towing car. It was only then that the
47