Originally Posted by
lcolman
Forgetting is pretty easy in a high workload environment. Its pretty easy to reach task saturation when you're dealing with an engine failure over a populated area in very busy airspace at a congested airport.
This can happen to anyone at any time, just takes a single task more than you can deal with and this has happened in the past to very experienced air crew, eastern 401 is an example of this, unfortunately there the pilots forgot to navigate first.
Dear Icolman
I think that you have hit the target. If you believe that it is acceptable to become task saturated in a simple engine failure scenario with a bit of fuel dumping, as a properly trained commercial pilot, then I can see why there are so many comments on these forums puzzled about why things go wrong. I am sure that your view is sincerely held and that many share it. I do not.
Dealing with task saturation is probably the most important part of flight training and if you cannot do it, better find a new job. The scenario above should not even raise the heartbeat. The Lionair and ET are much more difficult given the two emergencies of Loss of Airpspeed and then MCAS induced Runaway Stab. Coupled with multiple warnings and stick shaker. But the day before the Lionair, the crew did fly the same plane with the same faults for two hours to a safe landing just like that. With all those problems.
But, and of course it is only a view, the MAX crashes were manageable from a task saturation standpoint. Deal with the bigger problem first, then the next, methodically and calmly. As per QF out of Singapore with I think over 60 separate warnings and many many procedures to be worked on a plane partially crippled.
I will try to fly, as I always have done, with pilots who do not become task saturated. Think of the BA 747 with 4 engines out over Jakarta. The Captain has time to address the passengers calmly on the PA and advise them of the situation and the crew then proceeded over the next 20 minutes to relight alll the engines and land at an airport surrounded by mountains with no GPS and no moving maps - just paper charts from a folder. An airport totally unfamiliar and challenging too. Now that IS a task, but not overloaded.
Cheers and thanks for your comments.
R Guy