Originally Posted by
OldnGrounded
There was no information in the FCOM to indicate that the AT was always controlled based upon inputs from the left RA, even when the right FCC was active.
Thanks. That’s true. The manuals should of course be accurate. That said the majority of pilots I have known wouldn’t have derived any benefit from that knowledge in the AMS situation . Ask any pilot, if you know any, without warning “ How does speed trim work”. “Describe the hydraulic system A and what services it supplies”, or any question that goes just a little deeper than superficial. You might be surprised at the response. Fact is that it wasn’t that the crew didnt understand the wiring diagram for the Rad Alt and it’s relationship to the FCC and the avionics related to Autothrottle/ RA interface. Very few would, even if it were in the manuals in bold underline. What they didn’t know what to do was fly the plane, which I would argue is their primary function when things don’t work as expected. So in this case the autothrottle didn’t “wake up”, as it didn’t in ASIANA SFO 777. Both planes crashed due to pilot inability to recognize that the plane was deviating seriously from the desired flight path and did not initiate a manual recovery in time.
Thats my view and I’m not alone. Clearly, from some of the comments earlier.
It is very good we’re discussing these issues because they lie at the heart of the future of aviation safety.
Best wishes
R Guy