2 SoKor airline pilots fined for violating air traffic regulations—CAAP

CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss III. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has penalized two pilots of a South Korean airline for violating air traffic regulations.

Fined US$1,000 each were two pilots of an Air Busan Co. Ltd aircraft for violations of Philippine Civil Aviation Regulation (PCAR) Parts 10.1.1.6 on operation requirements and Part 8.8.2.2 on air traffic control clearances.

The CAAP, in a statement issued Tuesday, did not identify the pilots but according to the agency’s flight operations department, the offense on October 6, 2012, was “busting altitude” or the unauthorized deviation from an assigned height.

Like other air traffic regulators worldwide, the CAAP assigns altitude limits for aircraft to prevent midair collisions.

The decision finding the pilots liable for violating the PCAR was recommended by safety inspectors Rizal Ventura and Alfredo Juliano who investigated the incident.

The CAAP said the flight operations department has been placed under investigation for “various violations” of the PCAR.

Air Busan, a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, operates flights from Cebu City to the Busan, South Korea’s second largest city.