Originally Posted by
homebuilt
About 25 years ago, as I was a C130 instructor in the french air force, I spent some time in Africa for giving two copilots instruction in order for them to be upgraded as captains.
It was during ramadan.
One of the trainees was a muslim and as so he was following ramadan rules.
We used to perform our training flights in the afternoon, after the lone aircraft carried out its morning duties, benefiting of lower morning temperatures for heavy lift operational transports.
The ramadan-following guy was already under hipoglycemic effect when we started flying and was unable of even the most basic duties. I ended telling him that he had to choose between ramadan and flying, because both were incompatible. He finally chose to fly, thus drank and ate normally, and his flight status greatly improved.
I'm still wondering whether these two unfortunate guys at the controls of PIA 8303 were fit to fly (which would be terrible considering the way they managed that fateful flight) or under ramadan-induced health reduction. And I'm still surprised we don't have any data about their personal conditions the 12-24 hours before their fateful end, nor nobody seems to wonder about...
You are missing my point. If a European crew flying for a European airline can get an approach in CAVOK conditions so disastrously wrong, the focus should not be on what the PIA crew had or hadn't eaten that day, but on what caused them to rush their approach?