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In April of last year, flight control at New York's JFK Airport asked the pilot of an Air China passenger plane that had just landed if it had been cleared for entry. In broken English, the pilot gave the wrong answer six times. An audio tape of this conversation was posted on YouTube, viewed by hundreds of thousands. An embarrassed Air China administered English-language tests on its pilots -- and 15 percent failed.
In January of 1990, the pilot of an Avianca Boeing 707 passenger jet from Colombia flew over JFK and requested to land, citing a fuel shortage. A flight control operator could not understand the pilot’s heavy Spanish accent. The plane crashed killing 73 passengers and crew. Inability to communicate was cited as the main reason behind a passenger jet’s crash with a freight plane that was landing in New Delhi in 1996, killing 349.
Each year, 15 to 20 percent of air traffic accidents stem from lack of English proficiency. In 2004 this prompted the International Civil Aviation Organization to remove pilots and air traffic controllers from international flights within four years if their English did not improve. Korean aviation authorities conducted language tests on Korean pilots in 2004 - 2005. Only 27 to 41 percent passed, compounding worries for local officials. But in a test administered in March, all 3,600 pilots passed.
Korean aviation safety officials are rumored to have leaked the test questions beforehand to help prevent flight operations in Korea grinding to a halt. Even then, 95 percent of the test takers barely passed. Pilots and air traffic controllers claimed that dangerous situations are highly unlikely, since the words to be used in different circumstances are set in a universally used manual. There were even claims that pilots and air traffic controllers would fail the test based on their conversational English.
Korean authorities, airline companies and the pilots' union are discussing administering English tests using only aviation terminology. There is no rule that says only aviation terms will be used in flight-related discourse. English-speaking pilots say they are "flying into the dark" whenever they travel into Asian airspace. It is worrying to see pilots and air traffic controllers trying to evade their responsibilities, rather than seek to improve their English.
The column was contributed by the Chosun Ilbo in-house columnist Kim Hong-jin.
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