At the end of the day the real problem is frightening...
Flying a functional airplane is inherently simple.
Now landing an airplane (or taking off) is infinitely more complex and challenging. This reality is reflected in the relevant incident and accident rates. An autopilot as originally conceived was designed to minimize pilot workload during the safest part of the flight with the goal of maximizing pilot awareness and efficiency when it counted...during the final phase of the flight.
The AP was never intended to replace the pilot...yet we have the AP flying the aircraft for 99% of most flights. In this particular instance we finally reached a point where the PF & PM were collectively unable to fly a functional airplane with a completely manageable technical issue that had occurred on type numerous times and was well documented.
The complete lack of professionalism demonstrated via the transcripts clearly indicates a systemic problem in the training/CRM for AF. The reality that the problem is widespread enough to place to completely unqualified individuals in the wrong place at the same time is a clear warning sign that the entire training and screening process needs to be reviewed.
Last edited by SLFinAZ; 6th Jul 2012 at 14:24.