Nepal investigators say a pilot had ‘an emotional breakdown’ just prior to one of the country’s worst aviation accidents.
The captain of the US-Bangla Airlines flight which crashed and killed 51 people last year was under personal stress after a colleague questioned his ability as a flight instructor, Nepal’s Accident Investigation Commission said in its final accident report.
"This, together with the failure on the part of both the crew to follow the standard operating procedure at the critical stage of the flight, contributed to the loss of situational awareness," the report said.
This lack of awareness meant the aircraft manoeuvred and initially missed the correct approach to the runway.
"The pilot thought he could manoeuvre the aircraft and land but he could not," committee official Buddhisagar Lamichhane, told Reuters.
"Finally, when the crew sighted the runway, they were very low and too close and not properly aligned," the report added.
It said the pilots should have aborted the landing attempt and started afresh with a go-around.
The plane skidded off the tarmac and caught fire.
Both pilots were among the dead.
The approach into Kathmandu is considered difficult as the airport is surrounded by hilly terrain.
Investigators found the captain had been discharged from the Bangladeshi Air Force 25 years ago for depression but was cleared to fly civilian aircraft at the time of the crash.
The report recommended that the airline improve its resource management and set up procedures to monitor the mental health of crew members.
