Yeah! Another willie-waggin' competition!
Originally Posted by M. Mouse
You are not seriously saying that a circling approach at night into a poorly lit area with high terrain would be safer flown manually (assuming competent hand flying skills)?
Given pilot's inability to distinguish heading and altitude knob it even might be, though later mishandling of the aeroplane when AP packed up suggest that this "safer" would still be unacceptably unsafe.
My company has no specific guidelines on automation use in circling and I don't care if my F/Os create PBD circuit, use HDG-V/S or fly manually as long as they fly us on appropriate track and profile. Can be performed safely in any way aforementioned - messed up too.
To write it off as pilot error because they were idiots is however a bit too simplistic.
It is.
However it is an unusual pattern of experience. The co-pilot seems to have started straight on this widebody at a pretty advanced age and it is unclear how much help he was.
So? As if there are no cases where 200hrs on type performed well under duress or 10 000 hrs messed up royally after minor hiccup.
The flight was scheduled in the middle of the night to a tricky airfield experiencing difficult weather conditions.
So? While I fail to spot the trickiness, isn't the ability to throw away too tricky approach one of the basic tools of pilots' trade?
It is clear that the circle to land with some airfield lighting defective would be stressful.
The horrors of night circling with REIL inop! FFS, it's visual maneuver - you don't see, you go around!
The large pitch power changes and mode confusion at low level over a dark sea clearly overwhelmed the crew.
Click, click, click. Ooops, didn't help this time. Couldn't fly autopilot and couldn't fly manually- which is not indication of poor manual but rather mental skills. Crew had no idea what were they getting into so no surprise in being unable to get out of trouble.
The solution has been obvious for years yet ignored by aircraft manufacturers and operators alike. That is what simulators are for; and that is to train pilots how to fly the aircraft type safely both in IMC and visually. To be equally competent on automatic and manual flight.
Solution is correct but not everyone is ignoring. A colleague of mine went recently job hunting. Got offered a position despite "overconfident and not using enough A/P" remark on check.