Originally Posted by
Mach E Avelli
While I would not totally discount the power lever migration theory, I find it hard to believe experienced pilots would get sucked in by it. Most light aircraft drivers keep one hand on the throttles during takeoff and initial climb, only momentarily removing the hand long enough to retract the gear. The hand goes back on the levers until flap retraction and other non essential activities such as switching off lights. Initiating gear retraction would take 3 seconds at the most - hardly enough time for the power to go right back to negative thrust, and even if it did it would be naturally corrected.
A pilot with an airline background could be in the habit of removing hand from levers at V1, but a pilot with that discipline would probably retract the gear then go back immediately to the power levers if something did not feel right. I don’t think this pilot had any airline training, so would expect he would have kept his hand on the throttles throughout takeoff and rotation.
Either way, I would think it instinctive to push both levers forward if performance was being degraded. Auto feather would take care of a major power loss, but only if the system was armed. If the system was not armed, control with total loss of power close to V1 is very difficult, in fact probably beyond the capability of pilots who have not practiced it in the simulator. We do know that this pilot was not a believer in regular simulator.
The pilot was in a state of panic - that’s really as much as we know. But whether brought on by a medical episode or not is unlikely to ever be discoverable, due to the fireball.
Mach,
You are correct in that it happens as the hand is moved to the gear lever. It happens in a second and then its the shock factor that gets people. Some, as you surmise, calmly put their hand back on the power levers and correct the situation. Others firmly grip the yoke trying to understand what happens. I have seen it in play I can assure you that it is easily rectified, IF and that's a big IF, you put your right hand back on the power levers.
Groggy