Originally Posted by HarryMann
a few of us here (maybe a lot) are pretty sure that PNF was heads down while some of this was going on and not aware of long term NU inputs, or position of THS.
How low must one's head be to not notice the attitude and altitude on his PFD? Not to hear "STALL STALL STALL"?
Originally Posted by HarrysMann
But as RRR suggested, a stick shaker and even subsequently a pusher may have been the only way with that crew on that night, in that aircraft
Stick pushers are not there to deal with crew unaware of what goes on around them. They are potentially very dangerous devices and are fitted only to aeroplane that are considered to be more dangerous without then with them. DP Davies has written an excellent treatise on stick-pushers, pages 130-140. His analysis of risks and benefits connected with pushers is amazingly applicable to any other envelope protection too.
Originally Posted by CONFiture
As I'm not sure exactly what's happening, I auto cancel all my wonderful features, and I give you back a conventional aircraft in direct law.
And give you direct stick-to-elevator? Half up elevator at mach 0.8 would give pretty much the same outcome we have now though the path to it might be somewhat different and perhaps include a lomcevak or two.
Originally Posted by JD-EE
Communications is the solution.
There was nothing to communicate except utter bafflement in the cockpit. Crew got way behind the aeroplane, completely lost SA and never regained it during final minutes.
Originally Posted by JD-EE
Could it be that the automation actually provides a serious added benefit?
Absolutely. There are two dominant views on implications of "Swiss cheese" accident model. Optimistic theory claims each and every cheese slice has to be as hole-free as possible to reduce the possibility of accident to minimum. Modern management theory is that as any cheese layer stops the accident as well as any other, it is important to first make cheaper slices thicker and less porous. Others can be thinner, with more holes if number of the dead when all are breached falls below the statistically acceptable.
Automated aeroplane with competent pilots is safest of them all but do the additional costs of proper pilot training justify the increase in safety? If you really believe that life is priceless, they do but that's not the way thing work in our day and age. Yours, mine and everyone else's life have a price tag on them.