Talk:TABSO Flight 101

message: An eyewitness.
I worked as an air traffic controller at the Area Control Office in Bratislave between 1961 and 1968. I also taught flying on powered airplanes at the aeroclub Vajnory. In my spare time I was designing air traffic control radar station to be located at a nearby hill called Maly Javornik. Upon request I am able to present copies of my relevant licences.
On the day of the Bulgarian Airlines Il-18 airplane LZ-BEN tragedy I had a morning shift and there were several aircraft flying from southern Europe towards Prague. One of them, a Czechoslovak Airlines jet was flying to Prague itself, another, the Bulgarian turboprop, was flying to Berlin. After crossing the area of my responsibility (between Sturovo and Brno) and while they were under Czech Air Traffic Control somewhere between Brno and Prague they both decided to turn around and land in Bratislava due to fog at both Berlin and Prague. There was a military area on the way. The Czech airliner was allowed to proceed from Brno to Bratislava directly above the area, the Bulgarian one was instructed to make a slight detour (from Brno via Velke Kostolany), in accordance with the existing rules. Our instructions were acknowledged by both aircraft. We were unable to see the two aircraft on our radar. When both of them were about fifty kilometres from Bratislava airport they were instructed to contact the airport’s tower for further instructions. After a few minutes I received telephone call from the tower (who were able to see both aircraft on their short-range radar) informing me that both of the aircraft are approaching the airport from the same direction, across the military area. The Bulgarian crew clearly ignored our instructions and simply followed the Czech airliner. I was finishing my duty a few hours later and on my way out I saw the Bulgarian crew at the Briefing Office. I asked the captain informally why were the instructions ignored. He replied that they could see the Czech airliner clearly some distance in front of them, and there was no problem, was there? Well, knowing that any complaint to my management would be falling on deaf ears I went home (there was at the time the atmosphere of not reporting anything, from “minor” trespasses of aviation law, through malfunctioning equipment right to ATC and associated personnel working under influence of alcohol).
I lived only a few kilometres from the airport, and a few hours later, just as the sun was setting, I heard the jet airplane of the Czech airlines taking off. I was outside my house and saw it climbing at about 1000-1500 metres above ground, above the mountains which are about 600 metres high, heading in the military area direction, and Brno. I went inside and a few minutes later I heard the noise of the turboprop engines, knowing that it belonged to the Bulgarian aircraft. When the noise subsided I assumed the aircraft turned away from the mountains, away from the direction of the military area, towards Velke Kostolany, in accordance with the standard instructions. How wrong I was! A few moments later I heard the children outside screaming that an aircraft had crashed. I ran outside and saw the unmistakable cloud of smoke rising above the clouds covering the mountain tops down to about edge of the forest level (approx. 150 metres vertically above the airport ). I ran to the telephone, rang the airport tower with the news, only to hear from them that the “Bulgarian” is not responding, and could not be seen on their radar…
I ran to the site, about 3 kilometres distant. First snow of the winter was beginning to fall. When I arrived at the site it was almost completely dark. I saw flames everywhere, scattered parts of the airplane, human body parts, scattered luggage, and from the general arrangement of the broken trees, parts, etc. I realised that this was a high speed impact, and that there was nothing for me to do. I ran back to a nearest telephone and appraised the air traffic control of my findings. 
I realised later that the crew again ignored the instructions to turn away from the military area, and simply followed the Czech airlines aircraft that departed a few minutes earlier; the same way as they arrived a few hours earlier. The height of 300 metres above the airport level was stipulated by the air traffic controller with respect to some other traffic in the airport’s area, under assumption that the Bulgarian aircraft would follow the instructions and turn to the right after take-off (away from the mountains, that at the time of take-off were clearly visible (together with the cap of clouds on their tops), towards Velke Kostolany.
Charles Karol Hatvani
email charles794@gmail.com  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.180.191.23 (talk) 09:02, 6 July 2009 (UTC)
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