The Garuda Flight 200 Revelations Continue

On 12 April Stephanus Geraldus, President of the Garuda Pilots Association revealed that he was concerned about Garuda's ongoing policy of paying pilots a 3 per cent bonus if they conserved fuel, and said it could have been the reason why the pilot continued with the fatally flawed landing in Yogyakarta on 07 March. "This policy for fuel efficiency for individual pilots could hamper flight safety," he said. "The company is making extra payments to pilots if they manage to conserve fuel. Maybe this is bothering the pilot." Geraldus also criticized Garuda’s severe cutbacks on pilot simulator recurrency training.

It’s not known whether the fuel bonus policy is on a per flight basis or monthly or annually calculated. What is known is that the fuel bonus is a totally discredited incentive that was discontinued by most airlines decades ago as a definite proven flight safety hazard. At this point it’s also not known whether the FAA has a policy on covert airline fuel bonuses or indeed whether they are an optional adjunct to salary or an embedded part of the standard award. It’s the sort of operator practice that regulators find it easier to turn a blind eye to – because it can significantly impact an airline’s bottom line and competitiveness. Up until now we had been quite puzzled as to why the Flt GA200 captain would have pressed on with his totally unstabilized approach. That part of the jig-saw puzzle is potentially now in place. Twenty-one people, including five Australians, died. Investigators and lawyers for the victims and their families will now be anxious to sight the conditions under which that bonus would be paid.