Originally Posted by
RetiredBA/BY
Perhaps I have been missing something, BUT in my experience of the 737 ( a delightful aircraft)
as a TC with 7000 hours on type I used to teach that if the automatics are not doing exactly what you require, or you dont quite understand a particular aspect of the system, disconnect the AP and AT and FLY the damned thing.
It is, after all, just an aeroplane, fly the jet as such, using the yoke and thrust levers, simple.,
If you cant do that you should not be in airliner cockpit.
Well that’s what the Asiana guy thought he was doing.
I’ve sat in many flight safety and CRM sessions and bar talk over the years where old hands tut-tutted and said “how could they do that?”. And years later the same get caught out themselves in similar circumstances.
The subtle point is that in all these cases the aircraft state
wasn’t recognised due to masking or distraction. Humans take time to perceive and comprehend an unexpected situation when they have a preconceived mental plot. It took Sullenberger 30 seconds.
That’s why, in this age of system complexity and monitoring automation, it is vitally important that manufacturers keep improving cockpit ergonomics and don’t get let off the hook.