PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - AF 447 Thread no. 4
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Old 23rd June 2011 | 02:11
  #289 (permalink)  
Machinbird
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Joined: Jul 2009
: ATP+Mil
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From: Not far from a big Lake
Going back to a post I made a couple of days ago. It occurs to me that if the Flight Path Angle in the developed stall was around 45 degrees below the horizon, it would be necessary for the crew to push the nose down to at least 35 degrees below the horizon to break a stall.

No big deal to a fighter pilot with altitude.

A transport pilot, particularly one that really didn't understand why his aircraft was giving him no airspeed indications, and who was having trouble integrating the whole picture would have sold his first born in preference to stuffing the nose down 35 degrees below the horizon. That is likely why AF447's crew only gave a cursory attempt at getting the nose down to break the stall.

Would you have the courage to stuff the nose well down with similar indications in night IFR conditions while flying a 200 ton airliner??
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