Automation Bogie raises it's head yet again
Europe Regulators To Curb Autopilots
By ANDY PASZTOR
(WSJ) European air-safety regulators, stepping up warnings about excessive dependence on cockpit automation, have told pilots of two widely used Airbus jetliner models to avoid routinely using their autopilots in certain emergencies.
The directive issued last week by the European Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, specifically covers emergency procedures for more than 1,000 Airbus A330 and A340 jets in the event of major airspeed-sensor malfunctions. More than two-thirds of the two-engine, wide-body planes are flown by European or Asian airlines.
More broadly, the move reflects growing concerns by international safety experts about the hazards of undue reliance by pilots on on-board automated systems, following a spate of incidents pointing to pilot mistakes and confusion stemming from improper use of automated safety aids.
Safety officials believe many pilots flying a wide range of jets-across the U.S. as well as other regions-may need additional training to cope effectively with emergencies when autopilots or automated thrust-control systems are unavailable or can't be trusted.
"Given the increasing dependence on automation" in the latest generation of jetliners, according to Deborah Hersman, chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, "you've got to have pilots who are prepared for all scenarios, especially those in which they have a lack of information" from typical flight-management sources.
If two of the three external-airspeed indicators on the Airbus models singled out by last week's directive provide unreliable readings, autopilots and automated engine settings are designed to instantly disconnect. But instead of routinely re-engaging both at the first sign of trouble to try to control the aircraft, EASA now requires pilots to wait at least 30 seconds to determine if reliable information is flowing into the automated systems.EASA's directive also follows the recent release of a long-awaited U.S. air-safety study emphasizing that commercial pilots tend to abdicate too much responsibility to on-board computers, partly because most current training programs emphasize that automated systems generally are more adept at handling in-flight emergencies.
Crews also must perform various other checks to ensure that the automated systems will issue appropriate orders once they are switched back on.
When speed sensors feed unreliable data to flight-management computers, EASA said the result can be autopilots issuing abrupt and "inappropriate" climb or descend commands, which may "constitute an unsafe conditions." Regulators patterned the directive after a separate safety warning issued by manufacturer Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co.
The move comes after a series of dangerous airspeed-measurement failures and unpredictable or dangerous autopilot commands on Airbus A330s in recent years. The sequence of events that led to the June 2009 crash of an Air France Airbus A330 flying to Paris from Rio de Janeiro apparently started with unreliable airspeed indications and autopilot difficulties. No formal cause has been determined for the crash, which killed 228 people.
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Fine words telling us what we already know. Pity the regulators don't insist that operators under their control come up with a viable solution to automation dependancy
Last edited by Centaurus; 29th Dec 2010 at 12:22.