"Catatonic" Pilots
Like SN3SGuppy, I was flying with a pilot in a Viscount simulator who managed to get upside down at 16,000' and just sat there all the way to the ground.
I did shout several times -- no response. As it was a simulator and I was going to be able to walk away whatever happened, I did not whack him in the head.
But I still wonder how I should handle the next case.
There was a recent glider accident where the pilot left the spoilers out while the glider sank into the trees.
These are cases of extreme fixation where the brain shuts out perceived extraneous input in favor of the perceived task at hand.
It would be nice to know what short of physical force would get the pilot to snap out of it as auditory input seems to be shut out in these cases.
Perhaps blocking the pilot's vision with a chart would get his attention.