MAX’s Return Delayed by FAA Reevaluation of 737 Safety Procedures

[Tomaski]

fdr,

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that more proficiency at hand-flying, or more generally, degraded-mode operations, in itself improves SA. I am suggesting that a lack of such proficiency requires increased use of active, as opposed to procedural, memory when those skills are unexpectantly needed. That then reduces the amount of cognitive resources available to process the environmental cues necessary to maintain SA and diagnose any malfunctions. A somewhat indirect relationship, for sure, but still relevant.

In a more perfect world, the various automation tools would be there to assist the pilots while they managed the problem and maintain SA. Unfortunately, we have plenty of historical examples in which these systems are stripped away just when they would be most useful, so it really isn't a matter of choice as to whether a pilot wishes to hand-fly or use alternative law as they work the malfunction. When these situations are thrust upon the flight crew, a lack of comfort and/or familiarity with degraded automation becomes a significant distractor and can ultimately make the difference in a successful outcome or not.