Footage from the inside the cockpit of a Boeing 737 that crashed into a lagoon located in the Federated States of Micronesia has emerged. The footage shows the plane as it heads to the ground and moment it makes an impact. The crash caused the casualty of one person.
The video was captured by an engineer who was on the plane’s jump seat with a mobile phone. The video shows the pilots operating the controls in the cockpit just before the warning system kicks in and a pilot says ‘we are too low!’. The video and the description of the crash have been presented as part of the final report on the plane crash.
The Boeing 737 was owned by Air Niugini – the national airline in the country. The plane was flying from Pohnpei to Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. A total of thirty-four passengers and twelve crew members were rescued from the lagoon. One passenger, unfortunately, passed away and six sustained serious injuries during the crash. According to the crash report, a passenger was not wearing a seat belt and died because of the blunt force trauma. The report has blamed the pilots for the crash.
The report states, ‘The investigation determined that the co-pilot was unaware of the quickly developing unsafe situation; tracking for the water. However, there were sufficient indications of the unsafe situation that were disregarded, which as the co-pilot, or the pilot monitoring, should have been verified and confirmed. The CVR showed that he did not question or suggest any of the actions or inactions of the pilot flying. Due to his lack of situational awareness and vigilance, he was unable to recognize the need to correct the ever-increasing dangerous rate of descent below the glideslope.’
The crash took place in late September last year. What do you think of this report?