Aug. 31, 2010 (United Press International) -- Flight simulator training flaws led to some of the worst airline accidents in the last decade, a U.S. newspaper's analysis showed.
USA Today reported Tuesday that its analysis of federal accident records showed flight simulator data errors pertaining to teaching pilots how to deal with an out-of-control plane were linked to more than half of the 522 fatalities in U.S. airline accidents in the last 10 years.
The National Transportation Safety Board said simulators give pilots a false impression of how their airplanes work. The simulators seem realistic, but the data used to program the simulators aren't accurate for when a plane goes out of control.
In rare but critical cases, the simulators can trick pilots into procedures that can lead to deadly mistakes, NTSB experts said.
The NTSB last month said some of the simulator training was deficient and responsible for the crash of a Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL) jet in Denver on Dec. 20, 2008.
In that instance, the Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737-500 skidded off a runway at high speed and burst into flames due to the pilot's inability to steer while attempting a takeoff in strong crosswinds, the NTSB said. Six people were severely injured in that incident.
The NTSB said the airline and its trainers had not been told the simulators were inaccurate.
"That's a problem. It's really important to know how that data is programmed and where the holes are. Otherwise you are fooling yourself," said Kevin Darcy, an aviation safety consultant and former Boeing chief accident investigator.
The NTSB voted earlier this year to urge federal regulators to improve simulators to better instruct pilots how to regain control in an emergency.
