December 28, 1995
Web posted at: 11 p.m. EST (0400 GMT)
BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian aviation authorities Thursday suggested that a failure by the pilot in the final seconds of an American Airlines flight might have prevented it from avoiding the mountain it crashed into near Cali on December 20.
At least 160 people died in the crash, the world's worst airline disaster this year.
A statement from Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority said the pilot of Flight 965 apparently failed to release the plane's speed brakes, located on the wings, as he revved the plane's engines to avoid smashing into a mountain.
The brakes had been applied in a pre-landing procedure as the flight was just four minutes away from its destination -- Cali -- but with the speed brakes on, the plane's ability to climb or maneuver was limited, the statement said.
The authority's statement was based on information culled from the flight voice and data recorders. The recorder documented the fact that alarms went off in the cockpit of the Boeing 757 moments before it plowed into the 12,000-foot-high San Jose Mountain in the Andes.
The recorders' data showed that after being told to descend to 5,000 feet, the 757's flight management computer made a left turn that apparently took it off course.
Three alarms indicated that the plane was coming perilously close to a land mass nine seconds before the crash, according to the statement. Two seconds later, the pilot gunned the engines and pulled its nose up, but he failed to release the speed brakes.
The statement did not say whether the pilot would have averted the crash had he released the brakes. It also did not explain why the plane was about 12 miles off course at the time of the crash, which occurred in a region known for its guerrilla activity.
Data from the recorders also revealed that there was no indication that the crew had prepared descent checklist procedures or arrival procedures.
American Airlines, the largest U.S. airline, said it was "deeply disappointed" by word that pilot error may have played a role in the crash.
"We are saddened that human error on the part of our people may have contributed to the accident," the airline said in a statement. "The accident reminds us that aviation, while not inherently dangerous, is terribly unforgiving of any inattention to detail."
Reuters news service contributed to this report.
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