fmgc, I never said SOP should be ignored or disregarded. You've implied it from my description of SOP as a guideline. A clear definition of a given term is a first step in proper understanding of the implications, consequences, liability etc. The second step is the practical application. All this judicial jungle shouldn't preclude a pilot from applying all his resources to achieve safe operations including following SOP, using sound judgment and airmanship. We're not living in a perfect world and SOPs OM A,B,C and do develop constantly and still are far from being perfect and don't cover all possible scenarios. Only a year ago airbus SOP didn't include a landing performance assessment and now it does. Does that mean you didn't assess your landing performance a year ago coz it was not part of the SOP? Surely not. That's the whole point here. USE YOUR BRAIN should be the first sentence in any SOP.
