THE captain of the China Airlines jet that crashed at Chek Lap Kok last month has told investigators his co-pilot told him 'too late' to abort the landing, the Sunday Morning Post can reveal.
According to well-placed sources, a report on the crash made by Captain Gerardo Lettich, 58, alleges that co-pilot Liu Cheng-hsi, 36, told him to 'go around' after the aircraft had hit the ground and just seconds before it flipped over.
The first details of Captain Lettich's account seem to contradict the account of the co-pilot who said in his initial report that the pilot had ignored his call to 'go around' when the plane first tilted 15 degrees on its approach.
'The captain said in his report that the warning came too late as the plane had already touched the ground,' a source said.
Three people died in the crash on August 22 and more than 200 were injured.
Initial information suggested the MD-11 aircraft, with 315 people on board, clipped its right wing on the runway and flipped over. The impact was so strong that the plane spun 180 degrees and ended up facing the wrong way.
