FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Reading the accounts of the flight deck confusion, does anyone see a similarity between this accident and G-ARPI at Staines, LHR in 1972? Just thought I'd wave that to those who weren't even born when that occurred. 40 odd years later and we're back discussing stall confusion!
Even further back to Bonobo chimp days the RAF lost a Shackleton in a suspected stalling accident. Subsequently, the Tombstone Imperative kicked in and this direct descendant of the Lancaster was fitted with a wonderful big ANALOGUE AoA INDICATOR on the coaming where it was impossible to miss or ignore.
I understand that our modern hi-tech people pods are fitted with the wiring and obviously the AoA probes for such an instrument, but does anyone know of a civil air transport fitted with such a display? And are the crews trained and understanding of its message?
My fear is that the beancounter mentality has intervened when the spec for the airframe was signed, (by a knowledgeable line/training pilot-ah methinks probably not!), as the option would cost a few thousand more. I like to think that such a device would be more immune to icing confusion than the primitive bit of forwards facing central heating pipe which we've had since shortly after Wilbur and Orville, Bleriot and the rest!
Most of the pointy military hardware in recent times has had such a wonderful device available to the chimp pulling on the stick, to help him/her stay outa trouble and I bet theirs cost a packet especially on a taxpayer funded budget!
I'm presuming that someone who KNOWS ABOUT AIRCRAFT was probably involved in the spec and purchasing process for these, so I stand to be corrected by those who actually decide what we civil airframe managers need in the long term.
With ice crystal icing the latest hot topic, about which we know very little, maybe it's time to re-evaluate the AoA indicator as a possible accident prevention device? To those who have not had such a device in their line of sight in everyday ops may I request you exercise caution in any replies and perhaps state your experience of such an aid in your professional flying career? Ex military AoA probe drivers may like to educate the rest of us and share their opinions and anecdotes of this PRIMARY FLIGHT INSTRUMENT!!
Also are the AoA probes less likely to be rendered useless by the inevitable multiple birdstrike, maybe neatly slicing the offending poultry ready for the caterers to recover whilst enabling the now UAS aircraft to climb away and get sorted if the engines continue to function??