Pilot error led to Mangalore plane crash

New Delhi, Sep 9: In the ongoing probe of the Mangalore Air India plane crash, pilot error has emerged as the primary cause that led to the dreadful mishap, in which 158 people were killed.

The six member Court of Inquiry (CoI) established to probe the May 2010 crash was told on Thursday, Sep 9 that the captain of the plane was responsible for the crash.

The pilot was not only on the wrong flight path but also delayed in taking corrective measures, officials of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Boeing told the court based on the data retrieved from the 2:05 minutes cockpit voice recorder (CVR).

The recording has revealed that despite being warned by the aircraft computers to pull up, the captain did not.

He also ignored the co-pilot telling him to go-around. The last few seconds of the recording clearly says "We don't have runway left" .

The CVR recording ends with a loud crashing sound.

Boeing officials told the CoI that the pilot was not on the right glide path while approaching the Mangalore airport and that some anomalies were found in the captain's way of taking the corrective measures, which could have effectively averted the accident.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed outside Mangalore airport in Karnataka on May 22, 2010 after it overshooting a table-top runway. Following the crash the plane burst into flames and plunged into a nearby forest.

OneIndia News