No one quarrels with that John, but this was not a single error event but a complex, lengthy, considered and utterly deliberate series of inappropriate decisions that fly in the face of any kind of airmanship, sommon sense, fundamental safety judgement let alone SOP, and was emphatically NOT appropriate action. It's utterly beyond belief that someone would continue a take-off with the config warning howling and then start looking around to see what's wrong instead of concentrating on what they're supposed to be doing, ie the stop that's now mandated, and all the time accelerating towards, what? Then "ping", "Oh b&gger it's the flaps", "****! Flaps five, now!" all the time with the horn blaring and the aircraft accelerating, then the doubt, "wonder how long it takes, is there enough time?", the horn still blaring and the aircraft approaching V1 by now with flaps still travelling and both white-knuckled crew with a death-grip on their seat cushions thinking "shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"... There is no way whatsoever but guesswork to tell if there is enough time to get enough flap to be safe. None whatever. Some professionalism, that!
Wilful, deliberate and repeated contempt for SOPs in this most dangerous of situations cannot be excusable beyond insanity or gross professional negligence, and would probably be called criminal today if it had resulted in an accident.
imho it's a summary hanging offense for both pilots. End of.
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 18th Dec 2010 at 11:58.