Italy Convicts Tunisian Pilot Who Stopped During Crash To Pray
OVER the newswires, the story of the Tunisian pilot who “paused to pray instead of taking emergency measures before crash-landing his plane”.
Sixteen people died when the ATR turbo-prop aircraft crashed into the sea off Sicily in 2005.
The pilot has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Italian court.
Investigators said when the fuel-gauge malfunctioned the pilot panicked. He prayed out loud instead of following emergency procedures. He then crash-landed the plane instead trying to reach a nearby airport.
Another five employees of Tuninter, a subsidiary of Tunisair, were sentenced to between eight and nine years in jail by the court.
An aviation site identifies:
A court in Palermo, Sicily, has sentenced Capt. Shafik Al Gharbi and copilot Ali Kebaier Lassoued to 10 years in prison for failing to take adequate emergency measures before crash landing their Tuninter ATR 72 turboprop into the sea …
The court said Al Gharbi and Lassoued prayed instead of trying to land the airplane …
Who or what the pilot was praying for is not said…
Posted: 24th, March 2009 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
