COMPUTER failure appears to have caused the crash early yesterday of a Boeing 757-5cc which killed 70 people. The aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the Peruvian coast.
The Peruvian Transport Minister, Ms Elsa Carrera de Escalante, later said on radio that recordings from the cockpit indicated a technical problem. "It seems that there was a blockage in the computer system," she said.
The Aeroperu 757, on a flight from Lima to Santiago, crashed shortly after take off, when the pilot reported technical problems and said he was trying to return to Lima airport. Thick fog and, drizzle hampered early air and, sea rescue efforts, but as light improved, rescuers reported sighting aircraft parts, life jackets and oil stains off the coast at Chancay, some 70 kms north of Lima.
Rescue efforts were being concentrated in that area in the search for possible survivors, although hopes were not high. One, body has so far been pulled from the sea.
Radar contact was lost at 1.10 a.m. local time, more than 20 minutes after the pilot reported the emergency. Motorway police said they saw a light falling to sea off the seaside resort of Ancon.
Local media reported that the computerised navigation system had failed and that the pilot had asked for another aircraft to be sent to guide him through the darkness. He was unaware whether he was over sea or land.
Poop visibility hampered rescue work, as hundreds of troops, ambulance workers and firefighters stood by to help the search effort.
The airline refused to release details of the reported mechanical problem. It said 21 passengers started their journey in the United States, 10 in Ecuador and 30 in Peru. There were nine crew members on board.
The 757 that crashed was delivered only in 1992, and had completed 2,600 cycles of takeoffs and landings. Boeing yesterday sent a two person team to assist the Peruvian authorities in their investigation and additional experts were ready to join in if needed.
Boeing 7575 started operating in 1983. Two have been involved in fatal crashes in recent months.
In February, an Alas Nacionales 757 from the Dominican Republic went down, killing 189 passengers. The incident is still under investigation. Last December an American Airlines 757 crashed near Calais, killing 165 people. There were four survivors. The final crash report, released last week, indicated pilot error. There are 721 Boeing 7575 operating worldwide.
Boeing officials declined to comment on reports of mechanical problems, including the statement from Peruvian authorities that the plane's computer system had malfunctioned.
"We are still sorting out the same news reports as you are, but we haven't been able to confirm reports of mechanical malfunctions," said a Boeing official.
This is the second serious air accident to hit Peru this year in February, a plane of the Peruvian airline Faucett, on a domestic "flight, crashed into a mountain minutes before its scheduled landing in the southern Pernvian city of Arequipa. All 123 people on board were killed.
The US National Transportation Safety Board recommended Boeing improve the design of rudders on 737 jets following two unexplained crashes. The cause of, the two crashes remains unknown, but many safety experts have suggested there was a problem with the rudders.
All of the recommendations, which could cost the airline industry tens of millions of dollars, must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration before they go into effect.