A disagreement over wind and cloud readings took place between the control tower and the Pacific Blue pilot charged with operating a Boeing 737 carelessly two years ago, the Queenstown district court heard this morning.
While control tower operators recorded cloud below 1500ft and winds up to 20 knots, the 54-year-old pilot says he assessed otherwise.
The commercial pilot of 33 years, who has name suppression, was in charge of a flight which left Queenstown carrying 71 passengers bound for Sydney after the Pacific Blue evening civil twilight (ECT) cut-off time of 5.14pm.
The pilot defended his judgment to depart in conditions of cloud, with crosswinds and a wet runway, by saying the departure was done in a "controlled and managed" manner.
"At no stage was there ever loss of control of the aircraft."
