Philippines Air Transportation Office starts inspection of flying schools

Manila, Philippines: The Air Transportation Office (ATO) has begun a comprehensive audit of civilian flying schools around the country, concerned over the rise in training flight accidents in recent years.
The ATO has started inspections of 36 aviation schools nationwide to review their operations and compliance with management and safety regulations, agency officials said Monday.
ATO Executive Director Daniel Dimagiba said the audit was “normal,” but ATO accident investigation board chief and safety division deputy Jose Saplan said the audit was opened because of the increase in the number of accidents involving flying schools in the last three years.
“We just had a conference with flying school operators on January 21 and we’re going to evaluate all the schools because we noted an increase in accidents, especially last year,” Saplan said.
Citing data, Saplan said the number of flight training accidents that involved loss of life, severe injuries or grave damage to property doubled to eight last year, from four in 2006.
A separate file of “incidents” — minor aircraft mishaps that did not involve grave damage, injury or death — listed 11 last year, a sharp increase from the three in 2006.
Earlier, the ATO suspended the operations of Fliteline Aviation School in Bulacan after its planes were involved in two crashes within eight months.
The latest accident occurred Saturday in Plaridel when a Fliteline instructor and his student were killed in the crash of their training plane.
03/03/08 Tarra Quismundo/Inquirer.net, Philippines