The Flydubai Boeing 737-800 that crashed in Russia last month was flown in a contradictory manner minutes before it hit the ground, a statement from investigators said, suggesting pilot error was to blame. The 737 came down in the early hours of March 19 at Rostov-on-Don airport in southern Russia on its second attempt to land after flying from Dubai. All 62 people on board were killed. Poor weather conditions, including strong winds and rain, made landing difficult. In a statement on Friday, the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), which is investigating the crash, said the plane had been flown in a contradictory manner in the minutes before it crashed. It said the crew had decided to abort landing and circle round again. They had begun to gain altitude when the controls of the plane were abruptly pushed away, pushing its nose lower. That, combined with the angle of the tail fin, sent the plane into a steep dive which the pilots were unable to pull out of, the IAC said. It stopped short of saying the pilots were definitely to blame, noting they had the necessary experience and training, but said their condition and actions were being evaluated.<br/>
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Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will issue a temporary operation suspension notice to Rayani Air on Monday after the airline announced its operation suspension on Saturday, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. He said the operation suspension will be effective from Monday and the airline should not have suspended its operation on its own without the permission of the DCA. On Saturday, Rayani Air had suspended its operations until further notice due to a pilot strike. “Hence, Rayani Air will be suspended under Regulation 87 (1) of the Malaysian Civil Aviation Regulation 1996, and the audit process will be carried out by the DCA to ensure the company is certified to continue its operations,” he said to reporters Sunday. If Rayani Air failed to comply with the conditions set by the DCA, then the company would face the possibility of having its licence revoked by the department, he added. Meanwhile, DCA Director-General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said audit would be carried out on the company and the department would give the opportunity to the airline to give its explanation.<br/>