[Ugnet] Garang probe team to conduct internal inquiries about "pilot error"

[musamize]

Garang probe team to conduct internal inquiries

RODNEY MUHUMUZA

KAMPALA

Monitor

 

The Ugandan team, that investigated the helicopter crash, that killed former southern Sudan Vice President John Garang will conduct “internal inquiries” into why the flight crew did not act more in line with procedure after it was concluded that the crash was caused by a flight captain’s error.

Works, Housing and Communications Minister John Nasasira, while officially releasing the overall findings of the joint Uganda-Sudan Commission, told journalists yesterday that while the crash was caused by “a combination of factors” that added up to a pilot’s fault, the Ugandan investigators would conduct what was described as a “psychological autopsy”.

Psychological profiles
Though the commissioners could not tell the press conference what direction those investigations would take, Nasasira, while responding to a reporter’s question, hinted that the continuing probe may investigate the psychological profiles and behavioural patterns of the flight crew.

It was also not yet clear whether the continuing investigation might differ from the conclusions of the report. President Yoweri Museveni’s personal pilot, Col. Peter Nyakairu, who was known to be a highly trained and experienced pilot, manned the executive Mi 172 helicopter, in which Garang and 12 others were killed on July 30, 2005.

Now the Ugandan investigators say they are interested in establishing why, among other things, “the flight captain opted to continue visual flight into deteriorating weather conditions and yet he was trained to fly in bad weather using instruments”.

They also intend to uncover why he flew at an altitude of 5,500ft above sea level yet the Zuria mountain ranges, clearly marked on his flight map, are at a higher altitude of over 6,000 ft.

Nyakairu was aided by the co-pilot, Col. Paul Kiyimba; the officer in charge of the helicopter, Lt. John Munanura; and the flight engineer, Maj. Patrick Kiggundu.
All 13 persons on board, including seven Ugandans, perished when the Russian-made VIP Series helicopter, heading to New Site in Southern Sudan, crashed in bad weather in the Zuria Mountains.

Garang was returning from a private visit to Museveni at his country home in Rwakitura.
The Ugandan team, which was constituted shortly after the crash, comprised ministers John Nasasira, Beatrice Wabudeya, Ruhakana Rugunda, and former army commander James Kazini.
Though a similar team was constituted in Sudan, the two commissions met on August 18 2005, and agreed to have a joint probe into the “probable cause” of the crash.

A joint memorandum of understanding, signed on August 19, 2005, resulted in the establishment of the Joint International Technical Committee, which visited the crash site, analysed the flight data recorder, interviewed various respondents and sent some crash components for advanced laboratory tests in the US.

The committee, which was headed by an American transport safety expert, Mr Denis Jones, presented its findings to the joint Uganda-Sudan Commission on April 4.
Nasasira said while Sudan endorsed the technical committee’s report without comment, Uganda agreed to it but made “some comments” on certain issues.

He did not divulge details about those comments. It also emerged that contrary to some reports, the helicopter went down while still in Ugandan air space, about 11 miles away from its intended destination.

The commissioners failed to explain why, after reaching Soroti, the flight crew had not been able to communicate with Flight Control at Entebbe.

Museveni has consistently suggested that since a very experienced pilot was flying a sophisticated helicopter, the hypothesis that the crash was caused by an accident, was flawed.

 

 

Luweero district to deny opposition jobs

Rogers Mulindwa

Luweero

Luweero district will soon launch fresh investigations into the civil service to scrutinise the opposition supporters and relieve them of their current duties.

The district leadership has vowed to deny jobs to any new applicants who don't affiliate to the ruling NRM party. The revelations were made by the district vice chairperson of the NRM, Ms Carol Nalubega on April 15.

She was addressing over 200 guests who turned up for a 'political dinner' organised by the newly elected LC5 councillor for Wobulenzi town council.

Nalubega said giving government jobs to the opposition would be "denying food to one's own children and giving it to those of the neighbours."

She, however, was quick to say despite the new arrangement, these jobs would only go to those with the required academic qualifications.

"We shall not pick the school drop outs to head institutions or the garbage collectors to take control of the health units," she said.

Nalubega, who is also the LC5 councillor for Bamunanika sub-county, said there were some few civil servants who had showed support to the opposition during the presidential campaigns in February and warned that they risked losing their jobs.

She said the civil servants were expected to be non-partisan and their choice to go public to canvass support for the opposition was 'punishable'.

The area Mayor, Mr Tito Ddamulira Mutuluki, who asked the opposition to support the government programmes in their respective areas, attended the function.

He said some people were resisting the government projects in a bid to deny service to the people and thereafter use it to de-campaign the NRM.

The government Spokesperso, Mr James Nsaba Buturo, on Thursday said the government would award jobs on merit and not political affliation.

 

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