Originally Posted by
AGBagb
That's why I posed my "actual sequence of events" query a few pages back...... So far as I am aware, the only ATC mention of the state of the gear is *after* the first, failed landing, as they are turning back to try again.
Approach - to whom Tower have just transferred the a/c - asks the crew
Approach - to whom Tower have just transferred the a/c - ask
"Confirm you are ?carrying out? belly landing".
It's not easy to know exactly why Approach asks this question at that moment, and there's no clear answer from the struggling crew. Pure speculation - Approach have had a quick heads-up from Tower that the first landing was some form of no-gear.
I'm sure by now investigators know more, factually - but there don't seem to be any reliable reports (whether official or leaked) of what they actually do now know.
I think it is important to understand the use of the English language by people in India and Pakistan to fully understand the phrase "Confirm you are carrying out belly landing".
Whilst at first sight/hearing this may lead the listener to believe that the controller is asking about future intent, it is more likely that the controller is asking about a historic event.
A native english speaker would say "Confirm you carried out..." whereas in the subcontinent this is often phrased as "confirm you are carrying out" with both phrases referring to the past event.