Originally Posted by
FlyingStone
.........At higher speed, the engine failure with regards to controllability isn't a problem..........Asymmetric thrust can be easily recognised by progressively increasing deflection of the control column towards the live engine, and the autopilot will put in quite a lot of force/deflection before it gives up.
Except this crew apparently didn't recognise a thrust lever stagger, a big N1 difference, and the yokes a long way out of horizontal.
Knowing that their auto-thrust had been faulty, PF must have had their hand on the thrust levers, one would hope? Something else must have been going on, hence the CVR is needed.
I've got experience of both and both need to be watched like a hawk. The only difference is that with one you can rest your hands gently on the control column and thrust levers and look out the window, and with the other one you need to have your eyes glued to the FMA and N1/EPR to see if something untoward is going on.
Obviously we should regularly look at our FMA and N1/ EPR, (and PFD of course), on any aircraft, because they tell us the result of our inputs. The moving thrust levers and yoke movements are the inputs, not the outputs. But you don't need to be glued to them - just part of your normal scan which includes looking out of the window. I have never had to watch Airbus FBW "like a hawk" - it works very well and reliably. I've certainly never felt the need to hand-fly every departure up to cruising level before putting the automatics in, as someone suggested.
But we are getting off piste here.