Excerpt from NTSB, Dr. Bramble senior human performance investigator at the NTSB questions CAPT John Cashman, former 777 test pilot...
">> A FOLLOW-UP TO THE LINE OF QUESTIONING CAPTAIN COX IS ASKED GETTING ABOUT WITH RESPECT TO THE FEEL. THERE IS FEEDBACK, CORRECT, ON THE YOKE AT THE ANGLE THEY WERE AT, HOW MANY POUNDS OF PRESSURE WOULD YOU HAVE EXPECTED TO BE APPLIED TO THE OAK TO ACHIEVE THAT?
>> AT WHICH POINT?
>> IN THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT.
>> WHEN THEY WERE DECELERATING, ALL THE TIME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GRADUALLY INCREASING FORCE.
>> CULMINATING WITH A MAXIMUM?
>> I'M TRYING SURE MEMBER WHAT THE FLIGHT RECORDER SHOWED, BUT I THINK IT WAS TOWARD 80 POUNDS.
>> 80 POUNDS?
>> YES. THE AIRPLANE, FROM WHAT THE DATA SHOWS, WAS NOT TRIMMED AFTER THE AUTOPILOT WAS DISCONNECTED. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DOWN TO THE TOP OF THE AMBER BAND TO THE FORCE COULD HAVE BEEN ZERO. ONCE THEY ENTER THE AMBER BAND, THE FORCE OF THE STICK GOES UP BY A FACTOR OF FIVE FOR EVERY 10 KNOTS OF SPEED."
I'm a bugsmasher, but if I am pulling until I've got 80lbs on the yoke with the a/c nose up in the air and still seeing all red PAPIs...maybe something is wrong?
