Yes ATC Watcher....maybe the poor captain was traumatized in childhood, which 30 years later led him to be afraid of taking command.
In my book (and the FOM) he broke several safety gates, eventually getting 20' from an aircraft. There is no excuse. It was with intent, since the judged his skills to be superior to the average bloke, who would have to G/A.
He took a COMMAND decision to continue. That warrants punishment.
