Originally Posted by EMIT
OK, so you are convinced that a warning during a high workload phase such as touchdown and landing roll will solve the problem?
In this and other specific cases of one TL not being retarded, given that there is clear evidence that the pilots were confused and unable to identify what had gone wrong, yes, I'm convinced, EMIT. Otherwise the likelihood is that yet more people will be killed or injured when the same thing happens again.
Originally Posted by EMIT0
Additional concerns would be: an ECAM caution is inhibited at that stage, a warning not inhibited, but action is delayed until landing is complete, so you would have to seek it in a modification of the RETARD callout.
Now there I agree with you - and with Captain Chen, who was the lead investigator at Taipei. The simplest way would surely be to modify the existing 'Retard' callout so that it continues until BOTH levers have been retarded, instead of just one?
In that connection, thanks to PBL's excellent site, I just unearthed the report on the 'carbon-copy' Philippine Airlines Bacolod accident back in 1998. It's nowhere near as comprehensive as accident reports in other countries, but the relevant part of it reads:-
"ln the context of the accident approach in manual mode and A/THR engaged and at least one thrust lever is above idle detent, the 'retard' call out is emitted at 20 feet R.A. and continuously below this height until the aircraft speed reaches below 80 kts on ground.
- 2 thrust levers in idle detent, or
- at least one thrust lever is in the reverse range detent (this was the condition that stopped the 'retard' callout on the accident aircraft) (Annex B)."
http://www.rvs.uni-bielefeld.de/publ...olodReport.pdf
As I read that, had the Congonhas pilots landed and:-
1. Failed to retard one of the levers, but ALSO
2. Not decided or needed to deploy reverse thrust -
The 'Retard' call would have continued until the speed was below 80 knots.
But BECAUSE they deployed reverse thrust, albeit only on one engine, the 'Retard' call cut out.
Someone tell me the logic of setting things up that way - a continuous warning if you don't retard either lever, UNLESS you select reverse on even one engine.
The logic certainly escapes me. IMO, since it has been clear since Bacolod that lives can depend on it, the 'Retard' call should continue until BOTH levers are at 'idle.'