Pilot error has emerged as the most likely reason for the deadly crash of a FlyDubai plane in Russia's southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday, citing an unidentified source close to the investigation, which is investigating data from the plane's black box.
After an unsuccessful attempt to land, the pilot lifted the nose of the plane, which led to a fatal loss of speed, according to the source.
This caused a conflict between the two pilots on board.
“Where are you flying? Stop!” one of the pilots shouted, but his attempts to fix the mistake only aggravated the situation, according to Kommersant.
It is unknown which of the pilots made the error and which one tried to fix it, as both voices sound similar.
Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee refused to comment on the data about a conflict between the pilots when contacted by the TASS news agency.
The Boeing 737-800 operated by the Dubai-based low-cost airline FlyDubai crashed while landing in the airport of Rostov-on-Don on March 18. All 62 people on board died.
The Russian Investigative Committee said earlier this month that it was considering two theories as to what caused the crash — pilot error or a technical malfunction. However, independent experts told The Moscow Times the plane was more likely downed by a strong gust of wind, that can lead to a loss of control at low altitudes.
