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Old 19th Nov 2013, 01:02
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freespeed2
 
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There is another possibility other than mechanical failure or incorrect use of the slats/flaps etc that can happen to a perfectly serviceable aircraft:

The video looks from my previous experience as though the crew may have succumbed to somatographic illusion during a severe go around manoeuvre. The angle and speed of the final seconds would result from this effect.

A similar event happened in this report (link). Look at page 43 of the report (under somatographic illusion) and the FDR data. The false climb sensation experienced by the pilot resulted in a steep dive that was only identified upon breaking out of the cloud into visual conditions. This was too late to recover the dive.

Again, I understand that this is only speculation. I am only trying to include that there is a possibility that is not caused by a wrongly configured aircraft, broken component or airport/approach aid failures. These illusions can be overpowering in their effect on the pilot, and a recognition of them often only occurs when VMC is re-established, which in this scenario would have been unlikely. The basic principle of 'trust your instruments' can be easily disregarded during high stress situations.
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