I had the opportunity to read the government reply to the house of commons investigation today. Unfortunately, I regret to say that I must agree with the findings of the BOI and the original AAIB report (of which I have also read).
Sorry guys. Looks like they made a mistake. They should have seen the hill, and if they didn't, they should've climbed. Simple as that. The facts disprove any other hypotheses. I know this isn't what people want to hear, but I can't help but agree with the compelling evidence. There may be aggravating circumstances, but I think it's case closed.
Whether or not the AC was functioning properly at the point of impact is irrelevant. They entered a waypoint change which they would not have done if they had a problem. They should have been aware of the close proximity of the high ground, and taken appropriate action.
Press-on-itis perhaps (either self induced, or maybe externally induced? who knows?)
Last edited by AirfixPilot; 9th Aug 2002 at 21:00.