CAA report: Captain of crashed Air Blue ignored air traffic controller's instructions

Islamabad, Apr 25 (ANI): Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigations have revealed that the captain of the fateful Air Blue flight ABQ-202 that crashed into the Margala Hills on July 28, 2010, ignored air traffic controller's suggestions.

The finding states, "After break-off from ILS approach, the captain ignored the tower controller's suggestion to fly a bad weather circuit by saying 'let him say whatever he wants to say'. The CVR recording and flight simulation show that the captain probably decided to fly a managed approach on pre-selected PBDS unbeknown to the ATS", reported The News.

By 8:34 a.m, the captain had become 'very jittery in his verbal communication and displayed frustration, confusion and anxiety resulting in further deterioration in his behaviour'.

The investigations reveal that at 8:37 a.m, "the pilots were unsure of their geographical position and did not seek radar help. The consequent loss of situation awareness caused the aircraft to go astray." (ANI)