As a non-aviator I would like to offer a real-world scenario, which I myself experienced in the hope that, perhaps, the so called 'startle factor' can be more readily appreciated.
25 Oct 1983. I was an infantryman stationed at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia with the 1st Ranger Battalion. (Now the 1st Ranger Bn 75 Infantry Regiment) Leading up to this date, Ronald Reagan was whining on about some unholy airstrip being constructed by Cubans, Russians and assorted other "bad guys" from Eastern Europe on the Caribbean island of Grenada. (He neglected to tell anyone that the airstrip was designed and supported by the Brits.)
Anyway, on 25 Oct 1983 the 1st Ranger Bn. embarked on C-130 and C-141 aircraft for an unannounced and most unwelcome trip down to the Caribbean. Intelligence at the time indicated that the airstrip would not be defended and the aircraft we were on could simply land on the airfield (Point Salines, Grenada) and we Rangers would simply disembark and take the airfield. However, the Cuban defenders decided to welcome us to the airstrip via small arms and anti-aircraft fire. On approach to the airfield, all our aircraft began receiving this most unexpected ground fire. The PF of our aircraft did an abrupt pull back on the stick and got our aircraft out of harms way. Even as we were hearing the pings of rounds on the fuselage.
Although as Rangers we had trained extensively for combat (train as you fight) this was a most "startling" turn of events. Which caused us to discard our planned method of ingress (landing on the airstrip) and opt for rigging our chutes and jumping from 500' onto the airstrip environs.
However, and this is the point I'm trying to impart here, there were several Rangers in my company who, after being "startled" by the ground fire, refused to jump out of the aircraft. This in the face of all the multi-hours of training we had done over the course of time. They simply sat down and refused to jump. (Well, at least until the jumpmaster kicked their collective asses out the back of the plane!) Basically, these couple of soldiers froze: training be damned. Had we landed on the airstrip as originally planned I'm quite certain they would have disembarked without being forced to.
In essence: they were "startled" into inaction. (Scared !!!!less as well perhaps.)
I see correlations, somewhat, between the above and the inaction, almost catatonic state, exhibited by the PF of AF447.
Perhaps this correlation is not appropriate and I'm sure I'll be called out if it is. But, me thinks it is indeed appropriate.
Last edited by rgbrock1; 25th July 2012 at 15:30.