Although the Safety Board was unable to determine conclusively the reason ( s ) for the flightcrew's deviation from standard instrument approach procedures, it is believed that inordinate management pressures, the first officer's marginal instrument proficiency, the captain's inadequate supervision of the flight, inadequate crew training and procedures, and the captain's chronic fatigue were all factors in the accident ."
32.
"The Accident Investigation Board judges that the probable cause of this accident was non-observance by the flight crew of the technical procedures, configuration, speed and bank angle of the aircraft required to complete the initial turn of Instrument Approach Procedure Number 4 published in the Ecuador AIP [ Aeronautical Information Publication ] for Latacunga airport, a failure that placed the aircraft outside of the protected area ( published pattern ), bringing it into high elevation mountainous terrain ."
33.
A concept related to the missed approach point is the "'visual descent point "', or VDP . Determination of its location is done by the designers of the instrument approach procedure, but typically this is a point on the final approach course of a non-precision approach, from which the aircraft would be able to continue its descent from the MDA to the runway threshold while maintaining a standard 3?descent angle while being assured obstacle clearance.
34.
Of course, the FARs and AIM clearly defines an "'Instrument Approach Procedure "'( IAP ), but does not define "'instrument approach; "'that term says see IAP, which defines it as : " " A series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing or to a point from which a landing may be made visually " ."
