Fatigue, poor training, Co. pressure, etc. = CFIT
In China the following as observed daily;
Flight Duty Period in excess of 14 hrs, often up to 18 or 20 hrs. for two crew duty.
When REST is provided in the form of split duty, often in; noisy, dingy, dirty, stuffy, insect infiltrated poorly constructed hotels or crew bases.
So if they give you 2 hrs REST in the above, the Company assumes you slept the entire time and expects you to operate for 18 hrs.
4 hours of REST (could mean staring at the ceiling the entire time), you will be expected to operate 18 hrs.
Even if no rest, just keep going.
So fatigue a HUGE issue!
Company pressure! Call in that you are suffering from "fatigue" and you get the same old story! "We have no Cps, no Standby's, we'll have to cancel the flight, think about the company, etc."....... I've seen too many crumble and accept to continue.
Get to Home Base fixation.
Up to 8 sectors being flown in one Duty Period in such an operation.
This Airport had only VOR approaches, at night, plenty of visual illusions. which equals a classic CFIT trap when combined with an unstabilized approach.
Often operating near or at Min. Diversion Fuel when arriving at your destination, then being greeted with this sort low visability or another form of delay.
If the diversion option is correctly selected, no doubt a phone call from the Manager after landing at the Diversion Airport giving you serious verbal criticism on your "safety minded decision".
Many Chinese Airlines practice a Visual Descent Profile (VDP). Meaning they choose to descend to the MDA, level off, then calculate the lastest point to begin descent (allows for the minimum distance to the runway) to not exceed 1000 fpm. This conflicts with most western airlines, who have chosen to use Constent Descent Profiles (never a level off at the MDA).
Yet to see a Chinese airline to have proceedures for Pilot protection or support in such a case.
For example if a Foreigner was part of this Crew, you can well imagine over $100,000 in legal costs from the get-go.
After hospital release, directly to jail carrying your own IV in your mouth while using Crutches with 2 broken arms.
Perhaps being jailed for up to 5 yrs. while this process un-folds into multi $100K expenses - all from your own resources!
You will just rot here!
If found negligent - death penalty possible and ypu pay for the bullet or injection!
Flight Crew Training - well that is another issue.
So flyers beware working or considering it here in China.