Part 5/9:
In the wake of the incident, Emirates issued a Notam (Notice to Airmen) a week later, highlighting the importance of pilots verifying the autopilot altitude settings post-landing. It is suggested that previous crews may have set the autopilot altitude to zero—a situation that could have compounded the pilots' risk of missing critical altitude cues during takeoff.
This negligence could be attributed to a broader concerning trend within the airline: reliance on automation. The crew seemingly became overly dependent on the flight director's guidance, neglecting fundamental flying principles, which could have potentially resulted in disaster had they not corrected the trajectory over the coast.