There is no use denying the fact that the development of different means of transport leads to significant improvement in the quality of life of people. They are able to reach any place in the world in a very short period of time. However, this development also leads to an increase in complexity. Nowadays, planes are the fastest though the most complicated mean of transport and, that is why there are not many chances for people to survive in the case of an accident. A great number of people control each flight. However, accidents still happen, and many people die. The crash of Avianca flight 52 was one of these accidents.
First of all, it should be said that there is a great number of versions and suppositions connected with this flight and the main reasons for its crash. The given flight was quite usual, and there were no signs of disaster. However, due to the bad weather states, the plane was not allowed to land, and it had to remain in the air for some extra time. At last, having no more fuel, pilots had to land under extreme conditions, and the plane crashed. Seventy-three people died in this accident. That is why the necessary investigation of the root reason for this catastrophe was needed. There were several versions. The first one stated that it was the fault of the airline company as there was not enough fuel for a plane to wait for its turn to land. However, at the same time, the pilots managed to reach their destination point and were ready to land, though dispatchers of the airport did not allow them to do it, not understanding or ignoring the fact that there was no fuel enough for the plane to remain in the air. Under these conditions, the lack of fuel can be called the main reason for the accident, however, it is difficult to determine whose fault this very accident was.
One of the versions connected with this accident is the misunderstanding between the pilots and dispatchers because of their cultural differences. Hispanic pilots had their own understanding of the word priority and, that is why, insisting on it, they were sure that the dispatcher understood them and all the actions, which were needed, would be performed. However, at the same time, the dispatcher stated the fact that the pilots were not able to explain clearly that they had problems with fuel, and only 5 minutes remained. The records made during the communication between the dispatcher and other specialists could be taken as evidence of the fact that there was no understanding that the plane was not able to remain in the air anymore, and that situation was crucial.
Taking these facts into account, it is possible to say that the accident could be avoided. There are several facts that could prove this statement. First of all, it should be said that there were no serious reasons for the crash of the plane. It functioned well, and the only problem was the lack of fuel, which was also not crucial. However, the misunderstanding between dispatchers and pilots led to the disaster. That is why it is possible to assume that the existence of precise international terminology could have helped to avoid this tragedy. Having a certain list of actions which should be performed under certain conditions, pilots would be able to work more efficiently and inform people on the ground about their problems in time. Besides, it should also be said that dispatchers should also work more efficiently and show more interest and involvement in every case. Being not able to understand the words of the pilots and interpret them, they made the plane remain in the air till the situation became disastrous and the pilots had to act under horrible conditions.
With this in mind, it is possible to say that some universal international code for all planes should be created in order to avoid the same situations in the future. Moreover, it is possible to say that dispatchers should analyze the state of every plane which asks for permission to land carefully and accept a certain decision only after the deep analysis.
Resting on these facts, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. As has already been mentioned, there are two main versions of the main reasons for the tragedy, which are the fault of the airline company and the fault of the dispatchers. The second version seems to be preferable for us. Being not able to interpret the words of the pilots, dispatchers doomed 73 people and caused an accident. The idea that the pilots were not able to explain that they had the problems with fuel clearly could not be taken as plausible as, according to the records, they demanded permission to land several times, stating the fact that they could not remain in the air anymore. That is why the dispatchers should have understood the nature of the problem and guarantee a good landing for the plane.