I thought initially that this thread would be germane to EXPERIENCE levels, which are rapidly decreasing in Cathay Pacific, rather than ATC bashing. I noted on news clips archive shots of the Indonesian captain in a military flight suit; sources quote some six or seven thousand hours total; not a huge amount for a civilian jet transport captain. Was much of his background blasting around in VMC in fighters? And what about the French F/O? Was he 'paying to fly'?
Did the crew have the EXPERIENCE to assess and avoid the weather by however how much it would take (I personally have been over one hundred miles off track on several occasions)? Or the EXPERIENCE to deal with iced-up probes giving conflicting information? And one can imagine the pressure to 'SAVE FUEL', especially in a low-cost airline, especially destined for busy Singapore. Sound familiar?
Last edited by Captain Dart; 31st Dec 2014 at 00:29.