Originally Posted by
73qanda
I know it sounds unlikely but I have seen one pilot so taken aback by the aircraft misbehaving that he was angrily pushing the A/P button hoping it would engage even though the flight path was not where he wanted it to be. ( why not? he’s virtually never flown an aircraft anyway, why start now when things are turning to custard?)
I’m not suggesting that’s what happened here at all, but I am aware that the difference in pilot standards around the world is significant. I’m of the belief that we need to double up on mandated sim time and make the extra all manual flying. Tickets would have to go up about a buck per passenger. So be it.
I know it will never happen but I think it anyway
I am actually not surprised by that story. In fact, I know of at least one accident where the same thing happened:
At time 00:39:40 the captain was heard saying in Amharic “OK, engage autopilot”. However, the DFDR data does not show any engagement of any auto-pilot throughout the flight. At the time of the call the DFDR shows the control wheel was Aft from the neutral position and the aircraft roll angle reaching 64° left bank
That is an excerpt from the final report of Ethiopian flight 409 in 2010 in which the Captain attempted to engage the autopilot when it was at a 64° left bank.
I agree with you that there should be a much greater emphasis on manual flying. At my company manual raw data flying is allowed at any time and I believe on a clear day, with little traffic, at a familiar airport, it adds greatly to a pilot's confidence and skill set to regularly fly manually (this subject has been discussed endlessly at pprune already though). Practicing in the simulator will work as well of course.
Overall you may be right, that among other reasons the actions of the Lion Air crew could be explained by a lack of manual flying skills, which has to be countered by more training in this regard.