Boeing and Safety
It is an uncomfortable fact that automation has made flying safer. Another uncomfortable fact is that in the days when pilot's 'flew' the plane the accident and fatality rates were far higher than now. The issues with pilots responding appropriately to unforeseen circumstances are unfortunately not due to the increase in automation of the flight envelope. If one studies the accident reports of the past one recoils in horror at the mistakes made by pilots hand flying aircraft. We need to avoid rose-tinted spectacles about the past and focus on the real issue here. There will always be pilots who are unable to respond effectively in an emergency or anomalous situation just as there are pilots who can do so successfully. The question is what to do about these pilots as short of putting them in an emergency it is often difficult to tell who falls into this category. This is where the aircraft manufacturer comes into play - designing aircraft which are robust and easy to fly and putting safety above profits. There seems to be a failure of risk management and ability to appreciate that aviation accidents are all 'black swans' in the ranks of Boeing. Analogies have been drawn with the nuclear industry and these I think are appropriate. Cutting corners on safety is not an appropriate response and trying to bury or influence the results of a safety report so it is more favourable to the company is particularly abominable.
OC