Originally Posted by
1201alarm
I would object to that. A properly selected and well trained pilot is a huge safety improvement. Only a properly selected and well trained pilot has the ability to manage a complex machine like a modern airliner in a complex environment to the necessary relatively failure free level over a career of 30 years.
"Fully serviceable aircraft crashed in perfectly fine weather" are overall still a very rare occurence and limited to operators who do not properly select and do not well train their pilots.
I do not remember when a fully serviceable aircraft was crashed in perfectly fine weather by one of the US major airlines, although they are by far doing the most legs worldwide.
The reaction to substandard pilots can not be to increase complexity by making the aircraft even more automated, the reaction must be to install better selection and training standards worldwide. We know what it takes. It is not rocket science. But it has to be done.
just from the top of my head;
- AA587 in 2001
- The recent Atlas 767 nose over
- UPS1354
all very flyable aircraft flown into the ground in benign weather. We can debate training standards I guess, but even in decent outfits, low performers slip through the cracks... If we include a bit broader scope (not just us majors) the list becomes long (Asiana in SFO comes to mind most prominently, the fairly recent Emirates botched go-around, Turkish in AMS, those PIA cowboys landing on their engines and going round again...)