The captain in this case made the ballsy decision to reduce the flap by one notch just as they approached the runway. In the few seconds he had available, he realised that they were going to hit the masts at the airport threshold. By reducing flap he reduced drag just enough to extend the glide and miss the masts. Gutsy call on final approach with limited engine power if the aircraft was anywhere near stall speed. He had no time to discuss this with anyone else in the crew, he just made the call himself. It was correct.
His call made the difference between a hull loss that everyone walked away from and a catastrophic accident.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
