I have a healthy distrust of automated systems. More so when my life enters the equation.
"Something wasn't right"
"The following story received today from a colleague of mine from years ago. It was so unusual and so important that I felt that readers would be interested
Quote:
"I had a major "learning" in Miami on takeoff as an observer when we got a stick shaker around 12 degrees N.U on take off. Just as we lined up I looked at the flight instruments and something wasn't right but I couldn'd identify it. Later in flight as all hell broke loose I noticed the left PLI/ "eyebrows" was significantly lower than the right side which appeared "normal".
This was the cause of the stick shaker (invalid AoA) and this must have been the case with the Lion Air 737 as well. Seeing this, might have saved that flight -putting aside the MCAS for a minute. Bottom line though is they should have not have attempted to fly with the AoA issue.
Back on the ground, I went directly to the mechanic who last worked on the 767 and he sheepishly admitted he installed a new AoA instrument the night before and had dropped it on the ground likely damaging it. It was stuck at a setting of 12 degrees. The normal setting is 15 degrees on the ground and it rises above this as you speed up/climb etc
This is knowledge every pilot should have. Too late for those poor 190 people on Lion Air."
Unquote.