Originally Posted by
RAT 5
But back to the question: was the program accurate?
Some of the dramatisation was a little contrived (the 'pilot or plane' briefing in particular, especially given that the final report considered the airline's practices to be a significant factor). It had to condense and skip through some aspects of the case faster than others, but to the best of my knowledge it is a fairly accurate summary. Regarding the A/THR disconnect (which apparently did not happen as briefed), there is a possibility it was called for and not subsequently performed due to task saturation from the last-minute approach change.
A/THR disconnect (in fact disabling of A/THR by holding the disconnect buttons down) is required for the manoeuvre as briefed (i.e. at or above 100ft RA), because otherwise Alpha Floor would activate and the aircraft would climb out. In this case apparently the disabling of A/THR did not occur, but Alpha Floor was instead inhibited by the aircraft remaining below 100ft RA.
The programme interviewed my old Software Engineering Professor (Dr. Peter Mellor), and I believe it was the last interview he did as he sadly passed away before the programme aired.
Regarding the archive interview with Ray Davis regarding time discrepancy, page 16 of this document (Airbus's 1995 follow-up report):
http://www.crashdehabsheim.net/Rapport%20Airbus.pdf
provides a reasonable response. In addition, I should point out that Capt. Davis was an excellent and thorough investigator and this should not be considered a mark against him, he was simply inexperienced with digital recorders, having retired before their introduction.