Pilots wakefulness
Gentlemen,
there are at least two reliable, solid indications that the guys up front were active right in the middle of the ACARS message stream, that is between 0210 and 0214.
First is the pair of FLAG ON CPT FPV and FLAG ON F/O FPV.
FPV is not selected ON as normal cruise operation. Someone had to turn it ON, about one minute into the sequence. Read again the timings, they are public domain as part of the first BEA report.
Second, is this highly interesting item :
02:14:20 - .1/FLR/FR0906010213 22833406AFS 1,,,,,,,FMGEC1(1CA1),INTERMITTENT
The failure has AFS (Auto Flight System) as its identifiers. AFS is Airbusese for Autopilot. But wasn't that A/P OFF at the beginning of the sequence ? And it was turned OFF by the aircraft itself, following Pitot probes failure. And now we find it as the identifier in an FMGEC fault, which means AFS detected a fault in FMGEC1. Who turned the A/P back ON and reactivated it ?
This last message was acquired at about 02:13...
Isn't that somehow correlated with the Airworthiness Directive issued this winter regarding A/P reengagement after an UAS condition ?
Of course, everything would be much better for those surviving highly interested parties if the pilots were asleep from 01:35...
Who are the interested parties ?
Think More (I should perhaps make it a trademark)