Originally Posted by
Fly Aiprt
10-15 minutes wrestling with an airplane trying to bunt at low altitude, with alarms blaring and stickshaker activer seems quite a long time indeed.
Are you sure you do not underestimate the problem ?
I'm looking at the 20+ times he did it, 5+ minutes if I read the FDR graphs right. And was above 5000ft through that (ASL I think. What was ground level?)
I think he had a good idea of the problem (AND trim when it shouldn't) and how to counter it. He was doing it. It was only when he handed off to get the manuals that it went to sh*t.
No, I don't know how the rest of the environment would have played here.
But I do think the Capt could have keep it up and then started trying things, eventually getting to cutouts or flaps. Instead he handed off to look in manuals instead of having the F/O do that.
Before anyone jumps, i'm not defending Boeing or blaming pilots. I'm saying it looks like the Captain had it under some control much like the prior crew did. The F/O couldn't maintain that. Don't know why or even imply that he should have been able too. The captain may have been exceptional or just lucky.
Not blaming the F/O either. I drive every day but I don't have the skills a cop/protection detail have for high speed chase/escape. I'm no Grad Prix driver either. They could easily avoid a crash that I couldn't. I don't expect every pilot to have such advanced skills anymore than the average driver is expected to have suck advanced skills.