Flew in India for more than 4 years; I'm not surprised at the outcome.
Indian pilots are generally addicted to the AP and automation. On top of that, management is relentless in tracking extra fuel upload.
I think maybe this Captain was subversively trained into fearing additional fuel upload. Shame on him for failing to see who has the final authority (him) but he might definitely be a victim of the system there in India.
I remember last year a former SAS Capt and I shared the company transport home. He told me he was quitting w/o notice the following day. Said the CP at our Indian carrier chastised him for uploading 70kg extra fuel. This guy had over 30 years flying experience before retiring as a WB skipper for SAS. Now his simple actions as a Captain were being "reviewed" by a mid-level manager. Petty behavior on the part of a manager who stopped flying the line years ago and forgot what it's like to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. When I flew there I regularly uploaded 1,000 kg (or more) for every flight. When the CP would call and quarterback my fuel judgement I would tell him to pound sand. My flight, my aircraft, my license. I don't paid enough to be stressed out. I arrive at destination with plenty of fuel to give me all the time in the world to explore any diversion or holding options. I rarely, if ever, worry about fuel. Fortunately, there were enough pilots screwing up on our fleet that the CP was too busy to pick a battle with me.
Captain's authority is just that. Plain and simple.
Regardless of what happened with this chap, he should have recognized the fuel state before he even shot that first approach. So a divert was the obvious choice after the first approach. We always discuss "bingo fuel" at TOD as we review the approach briefing. I think you'd be surprised how little leeway you have in terms of approaches. Often times we determine we have enough for one approach then we go to the alternate. This guy probably didn't realize how tight he was until it was too late. He's lucky he didn't kill anyone. But where was the FO in all of this? Blind leading the blind I guess.
The airmanship skills, or lack thereof, aren't surprising at all. Like I said, they rely too heavily on the AP. So when things go TU, the situation is simply way beyond their capability. I hand fly all the time. It may not be pretty, or on perfect course, but it's within tolerance and it's a no-brainer for me when faced with landing in stormy conditions.
Never ever let your skills go by the wayside.
Last edited by Geebz; 22nd Nov 2011 at 07:09.