Officials Provide Update on Flight 3641 Crash
Quetana Airways Flight 3641 crashed in a neighborhood of Albate on Sunday, Killing 102
Impact site of Flight 3641 in Ridia neighborhood, Albate, Quetana.
ALBATE - Officials have provided an update filled with extensive detail regarding the crash of Quetana Airways Flight 3641 on Sunday. According to officials, there were multiple causes that led to the crash. Complications had arisen during the aircraft's first descent towards Albate International Airport. The landing gear was still in the retracted position when the aircraft attempted its first landing. Friction marks on the runway suggested there had been some ground contact; at the runway's 1,400-metre (4,500 ft) mark, the plane's left engine is believed to have scraped the runway; at the 1,700-metre (5,500 ft) mark, the right engine made contact.
When the pilot went around, it is believed damage had already been caused to both engines from this contact, leading to engine failure after the go-around. This made it impossible for the aircraft to maintain altitude, causing it to crash during its return to the airfield. This is supported by the conversation between the aircraft and air traffic control which indicates that the aircraft was constantly losing altitude. Observers noted that the plane's backup ram air turbine (RAT) was deployed, the purpose of which is to supply power to the airplane's control systems when both engines have failed and without the auxiliary power unit (APU) running.
According to officials, pilots had ignored warnings from air traffic control about the height and speed of the aircraft on approach. At 14:30 the plane was 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) from Albate, flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) instead of the recommended 7,000 feet (2,100 m), when ATC issued its first warning to reduce altitude. Instead of descending, one of the pilots responded by saying that he was satisfied with the descent profile. When only 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) from the airport, the aircraft was at an altitude of 7,000 feet instead of 3,000 feet (910 m). ATC issued a second instruction to turn to descend. One of the pilots responded again by stating that he was satisfied and able to handle the situation, and that he was prepared for landing. The pilot reportedly had a flying experience of 18,000 flight hours.
The narrow streets and alleys comprising the area of Ridia that the plane crashed in inhibited the rescue services. Special forces of the Quetana Army and Park Rangers had set up a cordon. Video footage of the crash scene showed emergency teams trying to reach the scene amid the rubble, clouds of black smoke and flames in the background.
Residents said it is not uncommon for aircraft on final approach to pass so close to building rooftops that they "feel... we can touch it", given the proximity of the runways. Albate Airport is surrounded by urban areas on all sides save for the north side, which leads to a scenario with jets having to pass low over urban buildings before landing on one of the two runways. Officials said at least 25 houses suffered damage due to the crash.
102 people were killed after an Toring B320 passenger airliner crashed into Ridia's residential neighborhood while on approach to the airport in the central Quetana city of Albate, officials say. At least three male passengers of Quetana Airlines (QA) flight 3641 from Napani to Albate survived the crash, a health ministry spokeswoman told the Vongane Journal. Health officials said 97 passengers and crew members have died, while 5 were killed on the ground.
New Evidence Places Brafeo at Verge of Guttesmara Scandal
President António Brafeo
VONGANE - President António Brafeo is being investigated by the National Judiciary for possible ties to 2018's massive corruption scandal which led to the resignation of many top politicians, including Foreign Minister Reis Mantagra. It also led to an economic crisis due to unsustainable debt growth which led to a Coalition of Crown Albatross bailout, which Quetana has struggled and staggered to recover from since.
Brafeo's possible connection to the scandal, which is being investigated currently, is an authorization from Guttesmara Corporation, owned by Brafeo's brother Jorge Brafeo, to increase its ownership share of the Bank of Quetana bank from 12.6% to 20%, thereby making it the largest single shareholder. This occurred in 2017, when in 2018 Guttesmara was bought by the Bank of Quetana, which occurred following competition between the two banks; that would ultimately lead to the main shareholders going to Bank of Quetana, which created allegations of stock manipulation, specifically attempting to influence the price of Guttesmara stock through an active misinformation campaign.
It is believed by investigators that President Brafeo aided his brother's company in gaining inside material of the Bank of Quetana, which functions partially as a government entity. Funds used by Brafeo and his family in the years following the takeover of Guttesmara marked several massive transactions being traced to the takeover, including helicopter trips and luxury vacations to Sulifa, Zamastan, and Albarine.
Several officials of Guttesmara were arrested for insider trading and market manipulation, including Jorge Brafeo who was sentenced to five years but was released after serving only 6 months. President Brafeo is also being investigated for obstruction of the Judiciary investigation, as it is suspected that he altered sentencing for his brother and other political allies. Cash transactions traced back to Guttesmara also point to the involvement of other key politicians in the Social Democratic Party.