July 14, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1423

TOKYO, July 13: A Japanese government panel has suggested pilots follow an anti-collision computer system even if an air traffic controller gives contradictory orders, reports said on Saturday.

The Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission made its recommendation in a report after a near-miss between two Japan Airlines (JAL) planes over central Japan in January last year, which left 100 passengers injured.

The report was submitted to Construction and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi on Friday, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun said.

According to the report, the near-miss occurred because an air traffic controller had mixed up the flight numbers of the two planes and gave them opposite instructions to those of the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

The report concluded that the injuries could have been avoided if the pilots followed the resolution advisory from the TCAS.

The commission recommended that the International Civil Aviation Organization revise its regulations to give priority to TCAS warnings, newspapers said.—AFP