Originally Posted by
chazontour
Naive question, is the Captain UOE check ride something that could cause unusual levels of anxiety? say like doing your driving test?
Also is it correct to say that the female pilot would have been in the left seat whilst the Check Airman would have been in the right seat acting out the role of first officer (even though he was PIC)?
There's a tragic and unnerving similarity in the final moments of this flight and the flight the female pilot's husband died in on 21 June 2006 mentioned in the article posted by
canyonblue737
If this was a line check on the FO, they remain in the RHS. There is no question of them changing seats when line flying. Normally any line check is carried out by a training captain observing from the jump seat. Normally two legs are required with the crew acting both as PF & PM on separate legs. There is a suggestion at post 1509 that this was the third visit that day?
There is no doubt that cockpit gradient will form part of the investigation, as will the FDR/CVR.
No question is stupid if it improves your understanding. What does irritate professional pilots on PPRuNe, especially when accidents are discussed, are instant experts pontificating. The instrument procedure plates will undoubtedly clear up the matter of whether the ‘wrong’ airport was chosen. From what has been said, a circling approach was carried out overflying the original airport.