Report blames pilot error for Air India Express crash that killed 158

[News_Editor]

Report blames pilot error for Air India Express crash that killed 158

2010-11-17 01:06:23 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- The May 22 Air India Express plane crash at Mangalore airport that killed 158 people was caused by pilot error, according to the final report, which was submitted on Tuesday to the Civil Aviation Ministry.

Captain Zlatko Glusica, 55, a British national of Serbian origin who was piloting the Air India Express flight 812, Boeing 737-800 carrying 166 people, slept over 90 minutes during the flight.

The American National Transportation Safety Board said it was the first time snoring had been recorded on a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). In addition, sources said that the pilot was late in realizing that the plane was at a higher altitude than the route's glide path.

The 2-minute CVR recording additionally reveals that co-pilot Captain HS Ahluwalia, 40, of Mumbai, India, told Glusica to go around because the plane was unable to land on three different occasions, but the Captain did not take corrective measures until it was too late.

Furthermore, the aircraft computers also warned the captain to "pull up," but Glusica failed to take action.

During the landing, Glusica overshot the runway at Mangalore airport in Karnataka, India and crashed into a nearby forest.

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