Originally Posted by
jeepys
Gouli,
at 200ft you know you are below msa!
No you don't know if your (electronic) maps don't show any obstacles higher than 30ft. In hindsight obviously we know better.
It is sad to see how a combination of inexact information and certain logic in the equipment that by itself would not cause a big risk/problem (280ft high obstacle in open sea not shown in EGPWS database, not or only partly shown in moving map, depending on mode, EGPWS inhibition in low altitude mode, deactivated clutter suppression, in exactly this combination lining up for a perfect disaster) still makes such a scenario possible even in such a modern machine. Very enlightening regarding unwanted consequences of features.
Why they cruised at 200ft for such an extended period of time will probably remain a mystery, though.