Seconds to Disaster: US Edition Read Online Free Page A

9/11, Egypt was an important ally in the war against the “Axis of
evil.” The US did not wish to overly offend its cordial relations with Egypt.
Blame was laid at the first officer’s door but there was certainly some
watering down of the report, no doubt deemed necessary for the Egyptians to
save face.
    In fact, Egypt’s ECAA final
report, based largely on the NTSB’s, came to an entirely different conclusion
from precisely the same data:
    “The Relief First Officer…did
not deliberately dive the airplane into the ocean. Nowhere in the 1,665 pages
of the NTSB’s document or in the eighteen months of investigation effort is
there any evidence to support the so called ‘deliberate act theory’. In fact,
the record contains specific evidence refuting such a theory, including an
expert evaluation by Dr. Adel Fouad, a highly experienced psychiatrist.”
    The Egyptians continue to lay
the blame upon mechanical failure, a truly bizarre conclusion considering the
NTSB evidence.
    In search of a motive for
Al-Batouti’s behavior, international media reports suggested that he been
reprimanded for sexual harassment—a serious charge within the Moslem airline.
The reprimand had been made by Al-Batouti’s boss, who happened to be on board
the doomed plane.
    But no mention was made in
Egyptian newspapers at the time of the sexual harassment accusations against
Al-Batouti.
    One can only guess at the
reasons for the illogical stance taken by the Egyptian authorities. National
pride was perhaps at stake. And there exists a strong cultural aversion to
suicide in Egypt. The country’s tourist sector, vital to the economy and served
by Egypt Air, would have suffered a serious blow had it been revealed
immediately post 9/11 that one of their pilots was responsible for flying an
Egypt Air  aircraft into the ocean, dooming all its passengers
    The point is, all the evidence
indicates a pilot who deliberately crashed his aircraft by reason of suicide—on
the evidence, no other conclusion really stood a chance. Yet vital reports by
accident investigators whose duty it was to expose the exact reasons for the
crash of Flight 990, deliberately watered down and molded the report to suit
the politics of the day, and in the case of Egypt’s ECAA, they almost totally
ignored the facts.
    Further disturbing acts earned
Al-Batouti a severe reprimand from the senior captain on board Flight 990.
    And yet despite such troubling
behavior, Al-Batouti was still allowed take lone control of an airliner with
217 passengers on board.
*
    The Federal Aviation Administration requires that US
commercial pilots pass rigorous physical examination every six months if they
are over 40 years old; yearly if under, as well as an assessment of their
emotional stability.
    The failure rate is low. In the
US, for every 1,000 pilots tested, only two are denied certification for
psychoneurotic disorders. Such pilots are grounded until they can pass the
examination, if ever.
    Around the world, mental
health is a taboo issue, so it is with aviation. Pilots run a mile from any
mention of the word; any hint of the illness can end your flying career. Enough
to deter any pilot who may think there is a problem brewing.
    David Powell of the
Occupational and Aviation Medicine Unit at Otago University in Wellington, New
Zealand, thinks aviation is going in the wrong direction when it comes to
mental health. “Depression is common and treatable, so surely the best way to
manage it in aviation is to bring it out of hiding,” he says.
    However, just as no security
is fool proof, neither is any examination or test.
*
    The most notorious suicide flights were carried out by men
with basic flying skills while one, Hani Hanjour, had a commercial pilot's
license. In the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaeda terrorists penetrated airport security and
managed to hijack four US aircraft. The rest is an infamous blot on history.
    As any air passenger can
attest to, since 9/11 rigorous security has been