Originally Posted by
ATC Watcher
Indeed and it is why Ihave a bit difficulties in accepting a simple lever mix up. In addition to what you said, the flaps is one lever, conditions are 2 , and as someone explained earlier there should be specific buttons to push of pull to go to feather. These facts combined with quite experienced pillots , which had done 3 evious flights on the same aircraft that day , almost CAVOK., no real stress or emergency , just a request for a QFU change , it does not really add up.. .I think we are missing something here.
Unlikely stuff can happen. Flew on a conventional type with a yoke mounted checklist with a little plastic marker that marked where one was in the lists. At the end of the landing checklist the marker was usually moved completely up in preparation for the next flight. One day the PM, instead of moving the marker up, grabbed the flap handle and moved it fully up, through 2 gates. Slow moving flaps and a quick reaction by the PF saved the day. Sector 4 at the end of a day. In that case a go-around was successful, a report was written, some additional training happened and everyone was happy. But not only was it a completely different location, but also shape of control, just the direction of movement was similar.
For similar reasons some operator require pilots, before acting on flaps or gear calls, to grab the control, repeat which they want to move, wait a second or two to allow intervention by the PF in case it is the wrong item, and only then move it. That slows things down, but prevents transferring one muscle memory movement to the wrong control.