SEPANG: A malfunction to the pitot-static system caused a Malaysia Airlines flight to Tawau, to 'dive' during turbulence, last Sunday.
This was the findings of a review by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) on the initial safety investigation and engineering reports involving Flight MH2664, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, that departed the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Sabah on April 3.
CAAM chief executive Captain Datuk Chester Voo Chee Soon in a press statement today said that based on initial reports extracted from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), it was determined that a technical issue occurred during the flight.
"This was due to a malfunction to the pitot-static system, the instruments that measure pressure differences to determine air speed and altitude.
"This malfunction produced a false speed indication onboard, resulting in the aircraft to pitch-up and deactivate the autopilot.
"In response to this, the pilot in command's immediate and correct reaction was to regain positive control of the aircraft," said Voo.
He added that this action was crucial to ensure that the aircraft remained under the pilot's control, based on the available accurate indications by using the remaining instruments.
"During this manoeuvre, the safety data showed an abrupt input from the pilot during attempts to regain control.
"However, these manoeuvres resulted in pitch and altitude changes that correspond with the pilot's report and the passengers' experience on board.
"These corrective manoeuvres were compounded by bad weather which created passenger discomfort in the cabin," said Voo.
He added that the initial actions taken by the flight's crew and the execution of the abnormal recovery checklist, as per standard operating procedure, was sufficient based on CAAM's investigations of the initial reports and input from the FDR.
Moving forward, Voo said that to maintain effective safety oversight, CAAM had instructed Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) to immediately implement several requirements.
"The first was to enhance MAB's 'Upset Prevention and Recovery Training' programme to emphasise the initial reaction and time taken to respond to issues.
"This will be mandated by CAAM to all commercial aircraft operators.
"Another is to issue an enhanced safety memorandum to mandate the need for improved initial action, reaction, and reinforce compliance to the abnormal recovery checklist.
"MAB has to also review analysis from the aircraft manufacturer, the Boeing Company, of the failure and troubleshoot root causes with enhanced corrective actions, to improve an already compliant maintenance programme," he said.
Additionally, Voo added MAB had to review with CAAM on the reliability report to focus on similar faults reported for recorded in-flight issues for the Boeing 737-800 fleet.
"They also have to complete a pitot static inspection that covers all disciplines including probe heating and resistance test on all Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) B737-800 series aircraft in the fleet," he said.
CAAM also confirmed that the affected aircraft had been grounded until further notice and is currently pending technical analysis from The Boeing Company.
"Root causes identified are actively addressed to ensure enhanced methods of training and safety for all aviation staff involved.
"Follow-up to this, CAAM will issue additional requirements to ensure all areas are carefully addressed as necessary, to ensure adherence to the best safety practices and to always uphold public safety.
"CAAM would like to assure that the safety oversight system in Malaysia regulated by us is stringent and effective in managing risks in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules and regulations," Voo said.