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#video #Air Crash Investigation - Season 26 - Episode 04: Divided in Crisis (Air Algérie 6289) #drama2026 #movie2026 #hotmovie
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00:02Controllers in Islamabad watch as Air Blue Flight 202 head straight towards a massive hill.
00:09He's not turning.
00:14They issue urgent warnings.
00:17Turn left immediately.
00:18But fail to prevent a disaster.
00:21They're going down!
00:30It's the worst accident in Pakistan's aviation history.
00:36When investigators listen to the CVR, they hear the pilots realise they're in danger.
00:42Terrain, sir!
00:45Took steps to avoid it.
00:48Turning left.
00:49But were unable to save the lives of 152 people.
00:54Why aren't we turning left?
00:56The crew knew what they had to do.
01:00They had reported that they were doing what they were supposed to do.
01:04And yet, the aircraft continued to fly in the wrong direction.
01:16The flight 폰-022
01:21To be continued on.
01:34The Air Blue flight 202 begins its early morning.
01:38morning descent towards Islamabad, Pakistan.
01:46There are 146 passengers and 6 crew on board the Airbus A321.
01:57A blue 202, expect arrival to ILS runway 30, followed by a circling approach to land runway
02:031, 2, understood, it will be ILS down to minima and then left downwind, okay.
02:13Captain Parvez Chowdhury is one of the airline's most experienced pilots.
02:20Najam Qureshi is a former Airblue pilot who flew with Captain Chowdhury.
02:26Captain Chowdhury had a lifetime of experience flying with the Pakistan International airline.
02:31He had a very successful carrier and he was pretty much approaching the end of his carrier.
02:37Airblue 202 clear to 3900 for ILS approach to runway 30, followed by a circling approach
02:42to land on 1, 2.
02:45First officer Syed Ahmed has less commercial experience.
02:49He's a former F-16 fighter pilot and squadron leader in Pakistan's Air Force.
02:57Airblue 202 clear to 3900 for ILS 230, clear to descend to 3900.
03:11He had about 300 hours on the time, so just brand new, learning the differences between the
03:16A-4s flying and the commercial flying.
03:20Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is a city of more than 800,000 people.
03:26It's surrounded by the Himalayan foothills to the north and northeast.
03:34The mountainous terrain means the only approach to Islamabad's runway is from the south.
03:41Due to the wind direction today, planes are landing on runway 1, 2.
03:46They must circle the airport and make a visual approach to the other end of the runway.
03:54It is always safer to land with a headwind as compared to a tailwind.
03:59When the winds change beyond a certain limit, the air traffic controller will switch the
04:05runways.
04:05That will ensure the plane lands in a headwind.
04:12Thick clouds envelop the airport, making landings difficult.
04:17China Southern is going around and diverting back to Urumqi.
04:21China Southern confirming, diverting back to Urumqi.
04:25Attention all landing aircraft.
04:27China Southern is diverting due to weather.
04:32If at any point you lose sight of the airfield, you should abandon the approach completely and
04:39carry out the missed approach procedure.
04:44Flight 202 is now less than 10 minutes from landing.
04:54Gear down.
05:00Gear down.
05:04The plane reaches the minimum altitude to which the pilots can descend without the runway
05:09in sight.
05:13As soon as you see the runway, you turn right and then after that you're supposed to keep
05:17the runway in sight.
05:18headwind.
05:20Commencing right turn, heading 352.
05:25Call it in.
05:28Air Blue 202 maintaining 2500 and turning right, heading 352.
05:35Air Blue 202 confirming at 2500, turning right, heading 352.
05:46Captain Chowdhury initiates the first turn of the circling approach.
05:51Air Blue 202, continue on the circle for landing on runway 12.
05:57Caution, low clouds and visibility, maintain visual with the airport.
06:03Even in the poor weather, it's up to the pilots to decide whether they should continue the approach
06:09or not, depending whether they have the runway in sight.
06:15The controller expects to see the lights of the Airbus as it flies past the airfield.
06:28Air Blue 202 is much further north than expected and needs to turn left for the approach to runway 12.
06:50Air Blue 202, turn left heading 180.
06:56Confirm he has visual with the ground.
06:58If not, instruct him to climb and execute a missed approach.
07:02Air Blue 202, confirm you have airfield in sight.
07:07The controllers had radar.
07:09They could see what the aircraft was doing.
07:12They could see that the aircraft was not doing what the procedure said they should be doing.
07:18Ask again.
07:21Air Blue 202, please confirm you have visual with the ground.
07:33Air Blue 202, visual with the ground.
07:37He's confirming visual.
07:41He's not turning.
07:45Controllers can see that flight 202 is rapidly approaching the hills north of the airport.
07:56In the cockpit, the pilots are struggling to turn their plane away from the mountains ahead.
08:03Why are we turning left?
08:07What?
08:15Why is it turning left?
08:18Terrain ahead.
08:20Pull up.
08:22Terrain ahead.
08:23Pull up.
08:23Terrain ahead.
08:23Terrain, sir.
08:24Pull up.
08:26Instruct him to turn left immediately.
08:30The controllers can't believe what they're seeing.
08:34Here's a guy with 25,000 hours, and he's flying directly towards a mountain.
08:41In the cabin, passengers have become aware that something's not right.
08:51They're approaching the 5,000-foot Magala hills.
08:56Terrain ahead, pull up.
08:58Sir, we are going down.
09:00Terrain, terrain.
09:00We are going down.
09:02Message from radar, turn left immediately.
09:05Terrain ahead, pull up.
09:06We are going down.
09:07Pull up.
09:21Flight 202 has crashed into the Magala hills, seven miles from the airport.
09:30The wreckage lies at an altitude of nearly 3,000 feet.
09:34It will be difficult for rescuers to reach the site.
09:41We couldn't get access to it with a car or a truck.
09:46Even with helicopters, there was no place to set down.
09:51So the only way to get to the accident site was with a long, slow climb.
09:58It takes more than half an hour for rescuers and volunteers to make their way up the steep hill
10:04to the crash site in hopes of finding survivors.
10:17When crews do reach the site, they find a scene of complete devastation.
10:33152 people died in this accident.
10:37It's the worst accident in Pakistan's aviation history.
10:45Why did a modern airplane fly into well-known mountains north of the airport in Islamabad?
11:00Investigators arrive at the accident site to study the wreckage of Air Blue Flight 202.
11:09When an aircraft flies into mountains, there are really two areas that we're looking at in terms of the root
11:15cause.
11:17One is a sudden and unexpected loss of control.
11:23The other would be the aircraft has actually stayed in control of the pilots
11:27and still somehow been flown into a mountain.
11:34An analysis of the engines shows that they were fully functional at the time of impact
11:39and capable of producing maximum thrust.
11:46Okay, good work everyone.
11:48Start heading back down.
11:50Right.
11:51So the stabilizer was set at 3.5 degrees nose up.
11:55Landing gear was down.
11:57Engines at climb power.
12:00So configured for landing, but climbing at full power.
12:06An examination of the electrical and mechanical components that we could find.
12:11There was no obvious damage or mechanical failure.
12:16They were trying to land here.
12:20But then they slam into the Margulah Hills, seven miles north of the runway.
12:27How did they get so far off course?
12:33For an approach that was supposed to be a very tight approach
12:37because of the existence of the hills, that is extraordinary.
12:43They were approaching from the southeast for a landing here on runway 1-2.
12:56Scattered clouds, rain.
13:00Visibility was at 3.5 kilometers.
13:08Could the cloudy conditions have been a factor in the accident?
13:13When an aircraft flies into high ground, one thing that is almost certainly a factor is poor visibility.
13:23Low cloud, fog, to call it what you will.
13:28Visibility would have been an issue.
13:30But you don't need to see the Margulah Hills to know that they're there.
13:39Everyone knows towards the northeast of the runway there are mountains.
13:43They're clearly marked on the maps.
13:57Can the controller explain why the crew of flight 202 couldn't avoid the mountains?
14:05Radar control informed him he'd be doing the circling approach to runway 1-2.
14:09A blue 202 expect arrival at ILS 3-0 followed by circling approach to land runway 1-2.
14:17And he understood the approach?
14:19Yes, sir, he did.
14:22Understood.
14:23It'll be ILS down to minima, and then left downwind.
14:30And then?
14:31That's when I assume control.
14:34As he began the right turn to the circling approach.
14:41The circling approach involves four carefully timed turns.
14:46The first to the right, followed by a left turn that takes the plane parallel to the runway.
14:53The two final turns line the plane up for the landing on runway 1-2.
14:59Pilots must keep the runway in sight for the duration of this approach.
15:07After about a minute, I expected to see him fly by.
15:13But he never did.
15:16I asked the crew if they had the runway in sight, and they confirmed that they did.
15:22Air blue 202, please confirm you have visual with the ground.
15:28Air blue 202, visual with the ground.
15:32But he kept flying further and further away from the airport.
15:36Directly towards the hills.
15:40After breaking off from the approach, they were supposed to turn after 30 seconds.
15:45Instead, they kept going for almost two minutes.
15:49We tried to stop him several times.
15:54But it was too late.
15:57Message from radar, turn left immediately.
16:08We couldn't prevent...
16:13what happened.
16:20It's all here on the radar track.
16:29Crew knew what they had to do.
16:32They reported that they were doing what they were supposed to do.
16:36And yet, the aircraft continued to fly in the wrong direction.
16:42Terrain ahead.
16:45Pull up.
16:47How could the pilots have ended up so dangerously off course?
16:58Investigators look into the background of Flight 202's pilots...
17:03to determine if the approach into Islamabad was mishandled.
17:09Captain had years of experience with major airlines.
17:15Captain Chowdhury has been flying for more than 40 years.
17:19He has accumulated more than 25,000 flying hours throughout his career.
17:25But only about 1,000 of those were on the airbus.
17:33The first officer, however, is a whole different story.
17:38First officer, Syed Ahmed, had far fewer hours than the captain.
17:44The former fighter pilot had recently joined the airline...
17:47and had accumulated only 286 hours on airbus A320 airplanes.
17:56Two very different pilots.
17:59One, during the end of his career, with thousands of hours of experience.
18:04And the other, just starting off his commercial career.
18:08But neither of them had a ton of experience with the airbus A321.
18:16Did the pilot's lack of experience on this type of plane play a role in the accident?
18:25Experience is generally considered to be an asset.
18:29The only potential downside is that, of course,
18:32if you've got a lot of experience of one particular thing,
18:35it actually might be more difficult to learn how to operate this new type of aircraft.
18:48Okay.
18:50So they're supposed to perform their approach within this area.
18:54Anything beyond this is outside the airport's 4.3-mile protection zone.
19:00Okay, let's see his track.
19:04Investigators examine Flight 202's radar track
19:08to see how the pilots set up their approach.
19:11All right.
19:13So they make their first turn here...
19:19and then head straight out of the protection zone.
19:24Then this left turn takes them directly into the Markhala Hills.
19:31The radar track shows that the pilots flew closer and closer
19:36to the mountains surrounding Islamabad.
19:39Wouldn't they have gotten a warning that they're approaching the hills?
19:42Yes.
19:44Yes.
19:45Yes.
19:46Yes.
19:50It should have sounded 60 seconds before impact.
19:56The enhanced ground proximity warning system
20:00looks downward to see the height that you're at above ground,
20:05but it also looks ahead to see any terrain that you're flying towards.
20:14If they got a warning,
20:17why didn't they try to pull up a turn to avoid it?
20:25Did the pilots of Flight 202 get any warning of an impending collision?
20:32The crew would have been given pictures on their navigation display
20:36of the approaching terrain,
20:38and they would have been given aural warnings.
20:41So, since they flew directly into the terrain,
20:46has the enhanced ground proximity warning system completely failed?
21:01Don't leave me in suspense.
21:03Did they get any ground proximity warnings?
21:07They sure did.
21:12Terrain ahead.
21:15The cockpit data shows that in the final minute of the flight,
21:19the crew got 21 separate warnings about the rising terrain ahead.
21:29Okay, so that answers that.
21:34Over 21 times we saw terrain,
21:38terrain, terrain, pull up, terrain ahead, pull up.
21:41There's no way that the captain missed that warning.
21:44The enhanced ground proximity warning system was working properly.
21:48Terrain ahead.
21:49If the warning system was operating,
21:53why would the pilots ignore it and allow the accident to happen?
21:56Terrain ahead.
21:57Pull up.
21:58If you hear a full terrain pull-up warning from the EGPWS,
22:03the reaction should be immediate.
22:05It should be to apply full power,
22:08pull the nose of the aircraft up,
22:09get it moving away from the ground,
22:11and that should be done before any questions are asked.
22:19Why didn't the crew of Air Blue Flight 202
22:23act on terrain warnings
22:24and steer their plane away from the mountains?
22:28Islamabad, Air Blue 202.
22:31Investigators listen to the cockpit voice recording.
22:34What are current conditions, please?
22:36Air Blue 202, visibility is now 3.5 kilometers with rain.
22:40Wind.
22:41One, six knots, zero, five, zero degrees.
22:44Runway one, two, currently in use.
22:47They focus on how the crew set up for landing.
22:51It'll be runway one, two.
22:53Yes, invisibility is crap.
22:58The weather was marginal,
23:00and marginal weather makes you nervous
23:02because you don't know whether you're going to be able to see anything at all,
23:07and the captain clearly was nervous about this approach.
23:13Did the captain proceed with an approach he wasn't comfortable with?
23:18Set waypoints for runway one, two.
23:21Radial zero, two, six.
23:23Five miles abeam.
23:32Mate, stop.
23:35Why is he asking him to input a course to the runway?
23:40This is supposed to be a visual approach.
23:45It didn't make any sense for the captain to be entering waypoints into the flight management system.
23:51The circling approach is by definition a visual approach,
23:54so there is no way that any pilot would normally do this.
24:01Then, just two miles from the airport,
24:04the pilots of Air Blue Flight 202 hear of a flight landing ahead of them.
24:09Be advised that a TIA-737 has landed on runway one, two, safely.
24:17Commencing right turn, heading three, five, two.
24:23That could have caused the pilot to say,
24:25hey, if they can get in, we can get in, too.
24:29Wait, stop, sir.
24:30So, he starts his turn later than usual,
24:35half a mile from the runway.
24:42Instead of breaking off early,
24:44they had to continue on because of the low visibility and low ceilings.
24:48And they did not break off to the right until the last possible point,
24:51which was at the end of the runway.
24:55Concerned with poor visibility,
24:57Captain Chowdhury makes a baffling decision.
25:00Switch into lab mode for managed approach to runway one, two.
25:05There he goes, switching to nav mode.
25:07He can't be visual.
25:11Carrying out the circling approach using the autopilot to navigate
25:15is a violation of procedures.
25:20As soon as you select the nav mode,
25:22the plane starts to fly the pre-programmed waypoints.
25:26And at this point,
25:29Captain Chowdhury's normal flying individual approach.
25:32Okay, sir.
25:36But are you visual?
25:40I have a visual.
25:44Chowdhury insists he can see the runway,
25:47but investigators are certain he could not.
25:51They can't see the airfield any longer
25:53because they've just got to the far side of it.
25:55There is no airfield in sight.
26:00So, instead of turning left
26:02to fly parallel with the runway,
26:06he keeps flying in this direction,
26:08moving further and further from the airport.
26:30As the captain struggles to turn away from the hills,
26:36controllers become concerned.
26:38Air Blue 202, confirm you have airfield in sight.
26:42What should I tell him, sir?
26:45Terrain, ahead.
26:46Tell him.
26:47Tell him.
26:48Pull up.
26:49The crew doesn't reply straight away.
26:52Probably because the first officer knows full well
26:55that no, they don't have visual contact with the airfield,
26:57but he waits for his captain to tell him what to say.
27:01Air Blue 202, please confirm you have visual with the ground.
27:04Terrain, ahead.
27:06Pull up.
27:06Air Blue 202, visual with the ground.
27:11In the end, the crew tells air traffic control
27:15that they are in visual contact with the ground.
27:19Now, that's not untrue,
27:20but it's not the same thing as being visual with the airfield.
27:23It feels more like a reply designed
27:26to get air traffic control off their backs.
27:27Sir, we are approaching terrain ahead.
27:31Yes, I know.
27:32We are turning left.
27:33Pull up.
27:34Pull up, sir.
27:35Sir, pull up.
27:36The captain says he's turning left,
27:40but he keeps flying directly towards the hills.
27:48Investigators are unable to explain
27:50why Captain Chowdhury could not alter his course
27:53and steer away from the mountains.
28:02The final minute of the CVR reveals a picture of chaos
28:06and confusion.
28:08Pull up, sir.
28:10Sir, pull up.
28:14They're applying power, trying to climb.
28:19Terrain ahead.
28:20Sir, pull up, sir.
28:23Pull up.
28:24Investigators hear First Officer Ahmed
28:26pleading with his captain to pull up.
28:29Terrain ahead.
28:29Why aren't we turning left?
28:32Pull up.
28:35Terrain ahead.
28:37Pull up.
28:38Terrain, sir.
28:41Terrain ahead.
28:43Sir, we're going down.
28:45Pull up.
28:46Message from radar.
28:47Turn left immediately.
28:48Pull up.
28:50Sir, we're going down.
28:52Pull up.
29:01All they had to do
29:04was turn away from those hills.
29:09Despite reacting to the terrain warnings,
29:12the pilots could not steer their plane
29:14away from the mountains.
29:18I think they knew what was happening.
29:21I think they knew that they had to turn left.
29:23For some reason, the aircraft didn't turn left.
29:28Will Flight 202's flight data recorder
29:31explain why Captain Chowdhury didn't
29:34or couldn't turn
29:35and avoid the mountains?
29:37Can we see the altitude, please?
29:41The minimum altitude is 2,500 feet.
29:47Investigators can see that Chowdhury
29:49dialed in an altitude below what's permitted.
29:52There's only one reason it would drop below that.
29:58Commencing right turn.
30:01Heading 3, 5, 2.
30:07There's no earthly reason for doing it
30:09because the minimums are there
30:11for a very good reason.
30:13The only reason why they ever break the minimums
30:16is because they can't see the ground properly
30:18and they want to get closer to it.
30:21Can we see the flight path?
30:25You see, he's way off course
30:28in heavy fog
30:30and has clearly lost visual.
30:33Let's see the autopilot modes.
30:38So, he asks the automation to take over.
30:46More than four miles off course,
30:49Captain Chowdhury makes his biggest error
30:51by switching modes on his autopilot.
30:55The captain switched from heading mode
30:58to nav mode
30:59and the aircraft turned left
31:02to heading of 3, 0, 0.
31:08towards the mountain.
31:11The airbus now makes a left turn
31:14towards a predetermined waypoint,
31:16bringing the flight dangerously close
31:18to the mountains.
31:21He's approaching the no-fly zone
31:23north of the airfield.
31:26From this point on,
31:27air traffic control continued
31:28to urge the flight to turn left
31:31because they knew they were
31:32in the vicinity
31:33of the high mountainous terrain.
31:35Terrain ahead.
31:37Pull up.
31:38Avenue 202, turn left heading 180.
31:41Terrain ahead.
31:42Why aren't we turning left?
31:43Pull up.
31:46Can we see what he's selecting?
31:51He's dialing in a left turn.
31:59Captain Chowdhury uses his heading knob
32:02to turn the plane sharply left
32:04away from the hills.
32:08But the plane,
32:09it keeps flying in the same direction.
32:12It's not turning.
32:24He's still in nav.
32:28Investigators realise the captain forgot
32:31that his plane was in navigation mode
32:33and not heading mode,
32:35which is required to turn the aircraft.
32:38If the aircraft is flying in nav mode,
32:42it will keep on flying on its predetermined course.
32:45Whether or not the crew change the heading select.
32:50Terrain ahead.
32:51Why aren't we turning left?
32:53Pull up.
32:55Captain Chowdhury doesn't realise
32:57that his inputs are futile.
32:59Pull up.
33:01Pull up.
33:02In order to get from nav mode
33:04into heading mode,
33:05you pull the knob out
33:06and that engages heading mode.
33:08Pull up.
33:09He forgot to pull it out.
33:12He realises his error
33:14and pulls the knob here
33:16at 40 seconds before impact.
33:26Ah.
33:28When Captain Chowdhury
33:30tries to correct his error,
33:32he only makes a bad situation worse.
33:36Sir, turn left.
33:37Oh.
33:38Why is I turning left?
33:45Captain Chowdhury has dialed in
33:47so many left turns
33:49that his last input
33:51is now to the plane's right.
33:54The Airbus takes the shortest route
33:56to get to that heading,
33:58directly towards the Margala Hills.
34:05He's in heading mode
34:06for the rest of the flight.
34:13The investigation saw
34:14that the captain
34:15was so reliant on the automation
34:16that he was trying
34:17to turn the aircraft to the left,
34:20asking why the aircraft
34:21wasn't turning to the left,
34:22but he didn't even use his side stick
34:25and actually turn the aircraft
34:26to the left manually.
34:28Why aren't we turning left?
34:30Terrain ahead.
34:32Investigators now know why
34:33Captain Chowdhury was unable
34:35to turn left
34:36and avoid the mountains.
34:37But one question remains.
34:40Why didn't the first officer
34:41recognize the mistakes
34:43and do something to correct them?
34:46Sir, we're going down!
34:51100 knots.
34:54Check.
34:55Investigators find a possible explanation
34:57for the first officer's puzzling behavior
35:00V1
35:01at the very start of flight 202
35:04Rotate
35:06as it took off for Islamabad.
35:10The flight starts
35:12with the pilots working efficiently
35:14as a crew.
35:15Positive rate.
35:17Gear up.
35:23Gear up.
35:27The takeoff from Karachi
35:29is textbook.
35:34From initial pushback start-up
35:36and all of it
35:37to takeoff,
35:38everything seemed normal.
35:42We are clear to climb
35:43to flight level.
35:44Explain to me
35:45why that is blue
35:47but the other symbols are white.
35:50The pilot's cordial relationship
35:53soon changes.
35:56Sir?
35:57There, on your display.
35:59Why is that symbol blue
36:00but the others are white?
36:02You should know why that is.
36:05I believe it's because
36:07the flight plan
36:08defers from the current route.
36:09No, that's wrong.
36:10It's because it's the one
36:12being navigated
36:13towards basic.
36:15Do you know
36:16how to modify this point?
36:19From the main menu?
36:21Oh, you don't need
36:22to return to the main menu.
36:23You can do it on the screen.
36:26What did they teach you
36:28in that so-called training of yours?
36:31Captain Chowdhury
36:32is heard quizzing
36:34and berating
36:34his first officer.
36:37This wasn't normal behaviour.
36:40It seems it was only really
36:41for the purpose of
36:43putting his first officer
36:44in his place,
36:46making sure he knew
36:47who was in charge
36:48and to do as he was told.
36:52What's he doing?
36:55If you don't know
36:56how to use
36:57the flight management system,
36:59then what use
37:00are you in the cockpit?
37:01You might as well
37:02go back and help
37:03the girls serve tea?
37:07Yes.
37:10Sorry, sir.
37:18What about maximum thrust
37:20available for climb?
37:21Can you at least
37:22tell me what that is?
37:23This has been going on
37:25for nearly an hour now.
37:26Torture.
37:30Radio ahead
37:30to Islamabad
37:31for the weather.
37:34Do you know
37:35how to use the radio?
37:35Yes.
37:40Captain Chowdhury is a very experienced pilot.
37:42He should know
37:44that this is not
37:45how he behave
37:46on the flight deck
37:47of an airliner.
38:02Investigators wonder
38:03why Captain Chowdhury
38:05would act so aggressively
38:06towards his first officer.
38:08He was recently treated
38:10for diabetes and hypertension,
38:13but deemed fit to fly.
38:17anything?
38:19Pilots who flew with him
38:20said he was demanding,
38:21sometimes difficult,
38:24but nothing at this level.
38:27Maybe it had more
38:28to do with him.
38:31Could the first officer's
38:33background have affected
38:35his captain's attitude
38:36towards him?
38:41In Pakistan,
38:42there has been
38:43a hidden rivalry
38:44between Air Force pilots
38:46and the people
38:47who are in the commercial side already.
38:50They feel that
38:51Axie Air Force guys,
38:52they are taking away
38:53their opportunities.
38:58Investigators believe
38:59that the captain's
39:00abusive behavior
39:01might explain
39:02one of the mysteries
39:03of this tragedy.
39:04why first officer Ahmed
39:07never took control
39:08of the plane.
39:12All the first officer
39:13had to do
39:13was to take manual control
39:15of the aircraft
39:15and fly it away
39:16from the mountain.
39:21Investigators scrutinize
39:22first officer Ahmed's
39:23actions leading up
39:24to the crash
39:25of flight 202.
39:27His first officer
39:28tells the captain
39:29to pull up three times
39:30and to turn left.
39:32Twice.
39:34But he never says
39:35he's taking control.
39:41If I were the first officer,
39:43I'd take over the control,
39:44pull back
39:45on the side stick
39:46to create the max
39:47performance maneuver,
39:48apply to the thrust,
39:49and keep climbing
39:51until I'm clear
39:52of the hills.
39:54The team believes
39:56the captain's behavior
39:57earlier in the flight
39:58explains why
40:00the first officer
40:01allowed him
40:01to mishandle
40:02the approach.
40:03If you don't know
40:04how to use
40:05the flight management system,
40:07then what use
40:08are you in the cockpit?
40:12We have the captain's behavior,
40:14which was so overbearing,
40:16so autocratic,
40:17so nasty,
40:20that it served
40:21to completely shatter
40:22the self-confidence
40:23of the first officer.
40:25First officer Ahmed
40:27allows procedures
40:28to be set aside.
40:30Switch into nav mode
40:32for managed approach
40:34to runway 12.
40:35Okay.
40:38Sir.
40:39And then fails
40:41to take control
40:42when his captain
40:43flies the plane
40:44directly towards
40:45the mountains.
40:47He was so worn down
40:48by the captain's
40:49harsh behavior
40:50that he just
40:51couldn't stand up to him.
40:52He became
40:53a bystander.
40:59The first officer
41:01clearly knows
41:02that what they're doing
41:02is wrong.
41:03He knows
41:04that his captain
41:04is disoriented,
41:07that the aircraft
41:07is on a collision course
41:09with a mountain,
41:10and yet,
41:11somehow,
41:12he doesn't have it
41:13in him to intervene.
41:17Terrain ahead.
41:18Pull up.
41:19Sir, we are going down.
41:21Terrain.
41:21Sir, we are going down.
41:23Terrain.
41:23Three and a half minutes
41:24after the start
41:25of the approach.
41:26Pull up.
41:27We are going down.
41:28The Airbus slams
41:29into the hills,
41:33killing everyone on board.
41:41This is one of the most
41:43extraordinary accidents
41:45I've seen.
41:48There were no technical factors
41:50in this accident.
41:53There was nothing wrong
41:55with the aircraft.
41:57There was nothing wrong
41:57with the engines.
41:59It was all a matter
42:01of human misjudgment
42:02and human error.
42:10If he doesn't try
42:11the approach
42:12in nav mode,
42:13there's no accident.
42:16All the warning signs
42:18were there,
42:19telling them what to do.
42:22It should have been
42:23easy to recover.
42:25Very.
42:27If he hadn't taken
42:28his first officer
42:28out of the picture,
42:31different outcome.
42:34Absolutely incredible.
42:41It's hard to believe
42:43that somebody
42:44of his experience
42:45would make
42:46so many errors
42:48and mishandling
42:50of the aircraft.
42:53It just defies logic.
42:58The final report
43:00into the crash
43:01of Air Blue Flight 202
43:03makes several recommendations
43:04to Pakistani airlines,
43:07including better briefings
43:09on the circling
43:09approach procedures
43:10and better
43:12crew management training.
43:15This accident shows
43:17that cockpit management
43:18and the atmosphere
43:19in the cockpit
43:20that's set by the captain
43:21is just as important
43:23as an operating aircraft
43:24and operating engines.
43:26And in 2018,
43:28the airport
43:29in Islamabad
43:30is replaced
43:31with a more modern airport
43:32with two runways
43:33that are well away
43:35from the hills
43:35that claim the lives
43:37of the 152 people
43:39on board flight 202.
43:44As I learned more,
43:46I really felt
43:47extremely bad.
43:51I felt very sad
43:53about that loss.
43:59It was a preventable accident.
44:01bad thing.
44:03And I felt like
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