Ed Driscoll

By Ed Driscoll

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Spinoneone
2010-04-10 13:12:02

The pilot is called the “pilot-in-command” for a reason. He and he alone is responsible for the final decision as to where and when to land the airplane[well, assuming he still has fuel]. This will very likely be another “human error” when the final investigation is over. In fog the pilot is supposed to have the runway in sight at an altitude of not less than 200 feet above the ground. Assuming he was flying on a standard instrument approach he would have been descending on an electronic glide path at an angle of three degrees at a speed of about 120 knots. If he was a little slow, or if he didn’t increase his speed in time before he saw the ground but was passing or about to pass 200′ AGL, and pulled up abruptly, he might have stalled the aircraft. That would account for the report from some witnesses that the left wing was down. And, if it was his fourth attempt, he was probably tired, frustrated, and had made up his mind that he was going to get it down this time.