Media Release

CAA Board Addresses IRP Reports

Thursday, 26 April 2001

The Board of the South African Civil Aviation Authority, at it's meeting on April 18, discussed the reports of the Independent Review Panel (IRP) with Mr. Trevor Abrahams, the CEO of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as indicated by the Board at the time of his reinstatement.

The Independent Review Panel was established by the Board of the CAA to advise the board in responding to the allegations around Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) examination fraud and allegations relating to the CAA CEO.

With reference to the specific issues as raised in the IRP report, relating to Mr. Abrahams, the board wishes to state the following: 

At no time were there any allegations or implications that Mr. Abrahams was involved in the alleged ATP examination fraud which allegedly started in the Department of Transport in 1997, well before the establishment of the CAA or the employment of Mr. Abrahams. 

Mr. Abrahams had in fact launched a CAA investigation into this matter and had been part of the decision to establish the IRP to see if any additional evidence could be obtained in a public hearing. 

It is indeed regrettable that the police action in late June 2000 and the subsequent media coverage, served to associate Mr. Abrahams with the ATP exam fraud allegations. The IRP reports make no such association.

With reference to Mr. Abrahams' own pilot license, the records shows that Mr. Abrahams, who has a USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instrument rating, applied for a RSA instrument rating on his RSA Private Pilot License (PPL) on 25th February, 1999 after conducting an instrument flight test with one of South Africa's most experienced examiners, Tony Smith. 

This application was lodged with the CAA licensing department per normal CAA procedures.

It is common cause that Mr. Abrahams had not sat for the written South African instrument examination. He had in fact been explicitly advised by the most senior official, who had some thirty years experience in the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and CAA, Mr. Rennie Van Zyl, that he need not have done so as he already had a valid FAA instrument rating. 

Mr. Abrahams had instructed Ms. Vicky Buxton to remove the instrument rating on 25 August 1999 when she, as the new General Manager, Operations indicated that some staff members in this department queried the process.

The board hence concluded that;

1. Mr. Abrahams had made an application in accordance with normal application procedures, 
2. He had been advised by the former head of the DCA, that he could obtain his South African instrument rating in this manner,
3. He had not exercised any undue authority or pressure in relation to this application, 
4. He had not been informed of any query relating to this application till the 25th August 1999 and at which point he had instructed that the rating be removed from his RSA license.

In relation to the above, the CAA Board found no basis for any further action against Mr. Abrahams in terms of CAA policies and procedures.

The board also directed the CEO to ensure that South Africa's validation procedures for foreign trained pilots be brought into line with ICAO principles and South Africa's SADC commitments under the Protocol on Transport, Communication and Meteorology. 

With reference to the Rand Incident, on the 18th July 1999, the Board concluded that;

1. The occurrence at Rand airport on Sunday evening on 18th July 1999 was an incident and not an accident in terms of civil aviation regulations, as concluded in the IRP2 report, in which the aircraft sustained minor damage in the form of punctured tires on its main landing gear. The tires were repaired the next morning and the aircraft was returned to service by the same afternoon.
2. That the aircraft had been left in a safe position away from the runway on the evening of the incident, as concluded in the IRP2 report.
3. That Mr. Abrahams had made a written report on the incident and handed it to the head of the Accident and Incident Investigations Department of the CAA the following morning.
4. That the head of the Accident and Incident Investigations Department, who is one of the most experienced accident investigators in South Africa, followed CAA procedures in involving the CAA Operations Department and interviewing the pilot, Mr. Abrahams, before determining that no further action was required. 
5. This form of reporting is consistent with CAA practices and procedures for an incident of this nature, both in terms of the time to report the incident and the investigation of the incident.
6. There was no evidence of any attempt to influence the head of the Accident and Incident Investigations Department's handling of the matter or any cover-up.

The CAA board does not believe any further reporting requirements or actions by the CAA were needed in terms of South African Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs) and CAA policies and procedures in relation to the incident involving Mr. Abrahams at the Rand airport on the 18th July 1999. 

The CAA Board reiterates South Africa's commitment to comply with its ICAO obligations to ensure that accident and incident investigations are conducted to determine cause so as to take steps to avoid recurrence of such events.

Issued by: Israel B. Skosana
Chairperson - CAA Board
083 288 3712