Tam said the American cargo plane was flying below the standard vertical distance of 1,000 feet – or 305 metres – from the ground stipulated by the Civil Aviation Department, yet potential punishments for the pilots and the operator would depend on the final result of investigations as well as relevant regulations in the United States.
One has to ask why a legislator is getting involved with the investigation at this stage, and why he is talking about punishment for an error. The investigation process needs to run independent from any regulation or politics until the final report is published. Currently, the CAD investigate accidents and serious incidents, contrary to ICAO Standards and Recognised Practices. There is a clear conflict of interest here as a line o investigation will be the actions of the controllers - their own employees.
They have recently been obliged to set up a fully independent investigation body, but are dragging their heels over it.