PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Auto-throttle lethal potential -Boeing NG checklist.
Old 8th Jul 2005, 19:54
  #14 (permalink)  
Spitoon
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Right Way Up asks
Why do you think that this is a dangerous procedure. Some of the other Boeings keep the authothrottle armed permanently. I haven't heard of too many major incidents regarding this. If an individual manages to press the TOGA button on the ground and then not resolve the problem, then I believe that is the least of your worries!
I offer the following thoughts not as a pilot but a simple air traffic controller so I hope that you'll forgive me if I have misunderstood the issue.

In ATC we now do safety management. If there is something that can go wrong we try to stop it happening - if a piece of equipment can have the hazard engineered out then it can never happen, if it can't be engineered out then procedures will be written to that the chances of it happening are reduced as far as possible.

If there are certain Boeing types or series where there are no engineering solutions to prevent TOGA power being applied when, say, on stand, surely the procedures should be arranged to minimise the risk of it being done inadvertantly. Not arming the A/T seems the common sense solution from other comments on this thread. Not to do this - particularly simply for the sake of having common operating procedures....on equipment which is different is asking for trouble! One day it will happen.

The macho "only an idiot would do that" or "it's never happened so what's the problem" approach is disappearing from ATC and I would have hoped the same was true of aircraft crew.