Pilot Error May Be Cause In Downed Flydubai Jet, Authorities Caution Over Speculation

A last-minute conversation between Flydubai pilots aboard a crashed jet may hold the key to the disaster.

A Russian television station said this weekend that they now have a transcript from the last few moments of Flydubai flight FZ981 before it crashed in Rostov-on-Don in Russia on March 19. Investigators were able to obtain data from the black boxes on board last week.

Air Transport World relayed the television station’s piece, which, though it has not been verified, has been widely reported. According to Rossiya-1, the flight decided to abort its second landing attempt (the first landing was canceled due to weather), but right after the pilots began to ascend, one can reportedly be heard saying, “don’t worry,” then “don’t do that,” then multiple “pull up!” calls. The plane then nose-dived to the ground and crashed.

But the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Dubai cautions that detailing a cause to the crash right now would be premature.

“Before the data is fully examined, it would be premature to hypothesize the cause of the accident,” the GCAA’s director general Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi told Air Transport World. “The GCAA would urge respect for the feelings of the relatives of the victims and the integrity of the investigation process. Speculation serves no purpose and can only result in needless anxiety and concern.”

Russian officials were also unwilling to comment on the specifics of the crash just yet and expect a preliminary report to possibly be released in April, The Wall Street Journal said.

[Photo: Reuters]