| 10
August 1994 - Korean
Air 2033 |
Korean Airlines Flight 2033, an Airbus A300, was approaching a rain
slicked airport that summer morning, when a conflict arose between the
Captain of the airplane and his Co-Pilot.
The Co-pilot, Chung Chan Kuy, a Korean, asked Captain Barry Woods a
Canadian, several times whether he wanted to "go around".
Apparently, the Co-pilot was concerned about the length of Runway 6.
When the Captain told his Co-pilot not to "go around" the
Co-pilot grabbed for the throttles. Woods told him to "get off."
They were flying through a tropical storm with winds that were gusting
up to 30mph. We pick up the CVR tape just as the runway comes into sight.
Co-pilot: Runway in sight, runway in sight.
Captain: I got it, I got it.
Co- Pilot: Okay. Right Side? Right?
Captain: Yeah
.Okay. Give me the, uh, four hundred [feet]
three
minimum
sink rate.
Co- pilot: Sink rate, sink rate.
Captain: Okay, Okay.
Co-pilot: One hundred [feet]. Speed?
Captain: Yeah, fifty [feet]
At this juncture, the Co-pilot decides that there is insufficient distance
for the Airbus to land safely without crossing the end of the runway.
The Co-pilot, when the aircraft is only 30 feet off the ground, decides
to "go around" and pulls back on the yoke.
Co- pilot: Go around, forty [feet], thirty [feet]
Captain: Get your hands
..Get off! Get off! Tell me what the altitude
is. Twenty [feet] . get off.
Co-pilot: Go around?
Captain: No, no, ten, five [feet]
Here they touched down and the brakes and the thrust reversers were
deployed, no matter. The Co-pilot still wanted to abort the landing
and go around against the wishes of the Captain who was telling him
not to go around but to brake the aircraft.
< Co- pilot: [I wanted to] go around
..go around.
Captain: Yeah but we were on
. we were on the runway. Why did you
pull us off? Okay, okay. We got to get out of here. Open your window.
Cockpit[Sound of opening the cockpit window]
Captain: Get your [evacuation] slide. Why did you pull us off? We had
full reverse on. Pull the fire handles. Pull 'em.
Co-pilot: Fire pulls.
Captain: Okay, get out. Get out.
END OF TAPE.
Miraculously, in spite of the airplane catching fire, the six member
cabin crew got all of the 152 passengers off the airplane safely, with
only a few minor injuries. The Pilot and Co-pilot exited through the
cockpit windows. The Airbus was a total write off. Korean authorities
contemplated bringing criminal charges against the Captain and the Co-pilot
of the aircraft.
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