Experts say the weather radar on the plane that braved the storm to reach Asunción, Paraguay, could indicate harsh conditions for flying. The Latam Airlines plane, carrying 48 passengers, was severely damaged by hail in the Paraguay-Brazil border region and had to make an emergency landing after one of its engines had cracks in the fuselage and windshield.
It would be possible to observe a “dangerous situation” with radar, meteorologist Luiz Fernando Nachtigall, a specialist in Aviation Meteorology, told MetSul.
“What we saw over Paraguay on surface radars and satellites indicated an extremely dangerous situation to fly in. There was an alignment of storm cells on the way that was difficult to deviate as they formed a true continuous storm line, which is a situation that would be in question in an aeronautical investigation,” said Nachtigall.
Vicente Quiñónez, former commander of the Latam Airbus A320 aircraft, told ABC Color that the use of radar helps to understand weather conditions, but it is not always possible to get the information accurately.
“The weather radar will give you information about the different outside temperatures available. He can know what the weather is like through photographs that do not show where there is hail or severe turbulence, but only the temperature and where the most severe conditions are. the pilot is not a kamikaze, he will try to deflect it as much as possible, nobody He doesn’t want to get into a big mess like in this case”.
However, declaring an emergency in the face of the situation was the right attitude for the experts. Aviation expert Osvaldo Salinas said that a flight can declare an emergency in really disastrous situations, when there is trouble in the air, or when “the captain is really afraid of these ailments.”
He said planes “almost never” pass through a storm unless there is no other alternative. It is incomprehensible for him to take the winding road in Foz do Iguaçu not to wait any longer until the storm subsides.
source: Noticias
