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| 'Human Error' in Flight 990
by John M. Curtis Copyright November 27, 1999
After painstaking analysis of the cockpit data and voice recorders, the cold scientific facts have all but ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or environmental factors. "Based on the evidence we have thus far—the flight data recorder, the cockpit voice recorder, radar data and the small bits of wreckage that have been recovered, we have so far found no sign of mechanical failure or weather-related events that could have caused this accident," said NTSB chairman Hall. Ruling out these causes, points in the direction of 'human error,' namely, the Flight 990’s co-pilot Gamil Batouty, whose voice was identified reciting the prayer, "There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet." While the prayer is recited by some devout Muslims as a daily ritual, it’s more frequently said when a Muslim faces death. No matter how you spin it, the likelihood of hearing this particular prayer in the ordinary daily routines of most practicing Muslims lacks plausible deniability. Do most Christians or Jews recite the 23rd Psalm in the course of their daily routines? I don’t think so. Why would you expect Muslims to be any different? Is it really such intolerable national humiliation to admit that one of Egypt’s pilots was mentally imbalanced? How does that reflect on their national image? Is saving face more important than accepting the ugly truth? Beyond Egypt, are Muslims so sensitive and defensive that they must assert that suicide isn’t tolerated by Islam? Since when does any organized religion accept suicide or homicide? Suicide—and other forms of self-destructive or violent behavior—is a cross-cultural phenomenon, attesting, if nothing else, to what’s known about 'human nature': The universality of stress and mental illness. Are we so mired in political correctness that factual admissions represent an attack on an entire culture or religion? It’s time to get off the high horse and call a spade a spade. Regrettable as it seems, systematically ruling out other plausible causes doesn’t let the guilty party off the hook, nor does it permit manipulating the truth to save face. "The pilots were very conscientious and religious, and none of them would have attempted suicide," said EgyptAir spokesman Sidqi. But can Mr. Sidqi really make such categorical statements with any degree of factual accuracy? Certainly any individual—Egyptian or American—is capable of erratic behavior. What’s religion got to do with it? Blowing smoke about Islam or what their employee might have done, doesn’t rule out the inescapable reality: That depression and suicide are facts of life. Blaming the NTSB’s findings on cultural bias or deliberately working in behalf of exonerating the equipment manufacturer—Boeing Corporation—defies all logic including the stubborn facts. Before dishing the investigation to the FBI, Egyptian authorities asked to review the evidence. Can Egyptian experts arrive at diametrically opposed conclusions? You bet! Just recall the dramatically different interpretations by prosecution and defense experts of 'incontrovertible' evidence in the O.J. criminal trial. While farfetched conspiracy theories worked then, a chorus of public relations experts are whipping up the same type of paranoia, suggesting that either equipment failure or a bomb must have brought down Flight 990. Certainly not—as the evidence indicates—that 'human error' is the only logical explanation. Allowing Egyptian authorities to conduct their own review breathes new life in implausible explanations, implicating American government and big business in conspiracies manufacturing pernicious propaganda. Such illusions have a long history of playing well in the third world, especially countries at times unfriendly to American interests. Borrowing from a well known slogan, the Egyptian press accused American authorities and the NTSB of a 'rush to judgment,' despite the painstaking and methodical manner in which the evidence was collected and analyzed. Egyptian authorities or the Muslim community may not like the findings, but they must swallow the bitter pill of reality. It’s no reflection on one group or country. Airline passengers are all part of the same world community. Finding the unqualified answers is the only objective of investigative bodies like the NTSB. No one wants to admit mental illness or criminal negligence. But when all the available evidence points in same direction, then alternative explanations do nothing other than protect egos, save face and blow smoke. Blaming others is always a favorite pastime—just ask Americans who desperately wanted to find someone other than a native son responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing. Facing the music isn’t easy, but it must be done. When rogue cops shoot 'innocent' suspects in the back and plant evidence, it takes powerful revelations to crack through the denial and get skeptics to come on board. Like a skillful surgeon, the NTSB pushed beyond cultural limits, collected the best evidence, and analyzed the findings with scientific precision. Like it or not, it’s time to stop the spinning and face the verdict. Difficult as it is to swallow, all indications point euphemistically to 'human error' or more realistically to criminal negligence. While many industries now perform random drug screening, maybe it’s time to consider routine mental status exams. Humiliating as it seems, it’s still better than the ultimate fate of EgyptAir Flight 990. About the Author John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com. He’s also the director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma. |
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hen EgyptAir Flight 990 plummeted into the chilly North Atlantic waters off Massachusett’s Nantucket Island in the early morning of October 31, 1999, fingers pointed in many directions, including the more obvious ones like sabotage and mechanical failure. "I want to assure all Americans and all Egyptians, and indeed everyone around the world, that we will devote all the necessary resources to find out what caused the crash," said a determined National Transportation and Safety Board [NTSB] chairman James E. Hall. Showing agonizing—yet appropriate—restraint, Hall emphatically stated, "We do not know at this point what caused the crash." After an exhaustive undersea search, recovery of EgyptAir Flight 990’s black boxes, and extensive analysis of the data, facing the unvarnished truth is even more disturbing. Despite pressures for diplomacy and political correctness, worldwide flight safety demands that the NTSB ascertain the uncorrupted facts.|
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