Originally Posted by airbusa330
Faulty altimeter, thust levers commanded to RETARD and subsequent stall seems to be the consensus.
I just learned with this accident how the RA commands the Retard mode in this aircraft and I find it quite umcomfortable.
I agree with
wizofoz. Automatic systems are not entirely reliable. And being myself a pilot who hasn't flown the big buses yet, it creeps the hell out of me and makes me feel umcomfortable how dependent is one system of another.
At the end, connecting this thing with that, and that other one with this other one, opens the window of possibilities where if one fails, the other fails. It gets to a point where it doesn't matter if an indicator instrument is a primary instrument or a secondary instrument, or if it is needed to be scanned or not. Because in the end, the failure of any of these sub-systems can create any kind of trouble.
And yes, we hop into a new plane and we are thrilled by knowing how it can activate retard mode by RA indication. Ok that is cool, but what if the RA fails? What is the backup for this system if it fails and what is the backup for the other systems if this same system fails?
This crash could have also been prevented if the crew were in control of the airspeed. I mean, read that last sentence again and realize how pilots are not in control or are aware of the airspeed their aircraft is flying at.
Is there a concept called "Technology-Induced Pilot Error"? Because it seems to happen a lot.
Cheers,