The Zonk Air Accident - Research Paper Example

There are many factors that contributed to the Zonk air disaster that occurred in 2010. These factors include human errors emanating from the pilot, mismanagement, faulty air craft, and poor weather conditions. However, the major factor responsible for this accident was the poor managerial practice by the owners of the company. Introduction: This paper provides a report on an air accident that occurred at the Tahoe Airport on the 7th of November 2010. In this accident, a charter plane that belonged to Zonk Company was able to crash, killing everybody who was in board. There were four passengers, and a pilot. This accident was so severe, that it was difficult for the rescue team to efficiently remove the body, without tampering with the aircraft (Weil, 2012). Based on these facts, the investigatory team was unable to efficiently examine the different parts of the aircraft, for purposes of helping them in their investigations. There are a number of reasons that are advanced, which were able to contribute to this fatal air craft disaster. Some of these reasons touch on the inefficiency of the pilot, negligence and poor management by the company, and poor weather conditions. This paper analyzes the reasons for the emergence of this air crash disaster, and it also contains a recommendation on how to avoid such kind of air disasters in the future. This paper also contains a conclusion, which is a summary of the major points contained in it. This paper takes a stand that there are a variety of factors responsible for the air accident involving the Zonk aircraft. These factors range from poor weather conditions, inefficiency of the pilot, and poor management from the company. Causes of the Zonk Air Disaster: One of the causes of the aircraft accident is attributed to overweight. For instance, this air craft that crashed was called 1980 PA-31-310. This aircraft could carry a maximum capacity of 6500 pounds. However, the weight of the aircraft at the time of the crash was, 6780 pounds (Weil, 2012). This is because the overall weight of the passengers was 800 pounds, and the weight of the pilot was 180 pounds. Furthermore, the cargo that was carried into the air craft had a weight of 900 pounds, plus the empty weight of the air craft which was 3,900 pounds. It is important to explain that the overload of a vehicle or aircraft is a very risky initiative (Weil, 2012). This is mainly because the pilot may be unable to control the air craft, resulting to an accident. Another cause that is given for the fatal air accident is on the inefficiency of the new pilot, which was brought about because of lack of experience and inadequate training. The pilot was new hired, and he had done a total of 300 hours in flight. Of these 300 hours, the pilot had done 50 hours on twin engine air craft’s, and only 15 hours on air a model of PA 31 (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, the pilot did not have sufficient training on meteorological conditions. He only had some 5 hours of such kind of training (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, before the accident, the pilot had only flown some three air craft’s for the Zonk Company, and before flying the air craft, he did not fly for the company for a period of 10 days. This is an indication that the pilot was not experienced and qualified enough to handle and fly this air craft. Because of inadequate training in meteorology, the pilot was unable to navigate in the harsh weather conditions, at the time. Furthermore, the management is also to blame, mainly because they allowed an inexperienced pilot to fly such kind of a plane. Poor management is also seen in the manner which the company managers were able to maintain the aircraft, and keep the records of the company, regarding the qualities of their aircrafts. For example the FAA was able to accuse the company of failing to maintain records, in accordance to the standards established by CFR 135. The Company failed to provide formal training to its pilots in regard to safe flying procedures. The company did not have an efficient monitoring system, which could help in determining various faults within its aircrafts (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, the management of the company were not involved in continues maintenance of their air craft’s. For instance, ten days before the accident, the maintenance personnel identified a possible power loss and some minor droplets of fuel below its engine. When consulted, the management of the air craft refused to do anything, denoting that it was the nature of the air craft under consideration. Furthermore, the company did not have an official mechanic, who had the capability of maintaining these air craft’s (Weil, 2012). To make matter worse, the company which was contracted to service these air craft’s did not have an experience, working on them. These are the major factors that led to the 7th November 2010 aircraft accident, of Zonk Air. Recommendations and Conclusions: In conclusion, the major reason for the occurrence of the aircraft accident was the mismanagement by the company. All the problems identified above could be corrected had the management of the company been professional, and efficient. For instance, the company should not have allowed an inexperienced pilot to fly the air craft (Weil, 2012). Furthermore, the weather conditions were hostile, and the pilot did not have sufficient training on meteorology. Poor maintenance of the air-crafts is also another managerial problem. For instance, the management of the company did not have a resident qualified mechanic, who could fix and maintain its air craft’s. This is a very serious issue, and it is considered an act of negligence. Problems such as fuel leakages, was a minor problem that the management could solve. Furthermore, the inability of the company to re-train its pilots on airline safety procedures could also be rectified. If it was expensive for the company to train its pilots, then it could have been possible for the company to outsource these services to outside parties, who are experienced in the training of air line pilots. The failure of the company to hire a resident mechanic amounted to negligence, and hence, there was a need for legal action. This would ensure that other companies are careful in the manner which they are handling and maintaining their air craft’s. References: Weil, A. (2012). Air Disasters. Irvine: Saddleback Educational Pub. Read More