Originally Posted by
FlyingStone
Yeah, gliders don't have much to do with stabilized approaches in a jet transport, go-arounds or balked landings. It's a completely different ball of fish.
Also, you will find that skill deficiency of an airline pilot is rarely, if ever, solved by sending said pilot to glider school. Finding root cause and creating a bespoke training training plan with simulator and line training is a much better tool.
Anybody can get themselves to a point where approach becomes unstabilized and I believe most of us have been in that situation at least once. It's quite natural to try and "salvage it" but once you give up, it's the correct execution of the go-around/balked landing which counts, and was not done properly here.
The answer was below your oriignal post. My point was, that this was one hell of a piece of bad airmanship, bad preparation, bad decision making proces, and lack of basic pilot skils - you don't just press buttons, you MAKE SURE the airplane is moving in right direction with right engine settings. Yes, unstabilized approaches happen, but this one was exemplary. It is NOT natural to salvage it. I was taught in my military days, that you don't salvage failed approach or anything you do. You do it again PROPERLY. Salvaging is exactly the second cause of this incident. This captain should be retrained to the bone.
The TOGA switches on the MD are palm switches. You are supposed to push the throttles forward and with your palm press the switches. Unlike the 737, you will get full thrust on the MD, and even if you can’t hear the engines, you will feel the push when thrust is set.
No matter what way they design the TOGA switches, thumb, index finger, palm or just throttles forward, we pilots will find a way to make it not work.