The SAAF Forum

The first incident of concern was allegedly on take-off out of OR Tambo International airport on 25th February when the airliner broadcast an ACARS message to both Airbus and the engine makers about the Alpha Floor Protection system having been activated. In layman's terms, this means the aircraft systems used their final protection mechanism to prevent a stall.

A stall in any aircraft is a serious situation. It means it is, in effect, devoid of the lifting force needed to sustain flight. Informed sources have related that this was due to the flight computers realising that the take-off weight had been miscalculated by roughly 90 tons and that the airspeed used for take-off was thus insufficient for the aircraft's actual mass.

The second incident was allegedly on departure from Brussels on the 26th February when it is claimed the aircraft violated the noise abatement regulations in force at the airport.

The four aircrew involved, which were led by the current acting chief pilot of SAA, were drawn from members of the pilot pool who are not members of the South African Airways Pilot's Association which is currently locked-out due to the dispute with the Business Rescue Practitioners and the Department of Public Enterprises over the lack of wage payments since some time last year.

In order to operate an airliner, though, one needs to have an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence or ATPL. You do not get one of those if you are a rule breaker or a lacklustre aviator.

You certainly do not progress through the ranks of the former SAA to the point of being in the right- or left-hand seat of an Airbus A340-600 if you are prone to risk-taking or are sloppy in your piloting.

Indeed, the pilots involved have been classified as “as good as the majority of other aircrew” at the carrier by instructors who have performed their simulator checks and other tests while the airline was fully operational. These comments have been publicly posted on various internet aviation fora which are currently buzzing with rumour and speculation about the two incidents.

The second incident was allegedly on departure from Brussels on the 26th February when it is claimed the aircraft violated the noise abatement regulations in force at the airport.