Originally Posted by EMIT
Look at Swiftair MD-83, 24 july 2014, yes, this year, over Mali, stick shaker ON, stall, wingdip over left and guess what were the yoke inputs all the way down from FL310 until just before impact? Full backstick and right roll!
Yup, it seems that demise of Spanish crew, flying Spanish registered narrowbody, built in USA and out of production, plowing the skies of Africa, does not produce enough outrage to make the PPRuNe discussion worthwhile. Also it would somehow damage the positions of those who claim that kids today can't fly and are stalling aeroplanes because they are inexperienced to note that the commander was 14 000 hrs TRE.
Originally Posted by EMIT
Judging from accidents worldwide and on all types of aircraft, a certain percentage of pilots has no clue about real flying, no matter how many hours they have cruised airliners through the sky.
It is not that simple, especially if we use AF447 as the starting point of the discussion since the report's greatest weakness was total absence of references to pilots' previous performance. That's something NTSB is very keen to explore, no matter whether they are investigating 4- or 400-seater occurrence but now with BEA we are left wondering whether the fatal crew breakdown came without previous warning, was at the end of unbroken chain of marginal performance or somewhere in between.
If I present you with three pilots who met their fate by a) flying Centurion into CB that tore it apart b) trying to pull his Decathlon through mountain pass on hot day at density altitude she just couldn't cope with c) being part of the crew that made 90 deg heading mistake, putting their aeroplane on the collision course with mountain, would you say "Now there are pilots who didn't know how to fly"?
Would you change your mind if I told you those folks were a) Scott Crossfield b) Steve Fosset c) Don Williams. Maybe it would help if I explain they were a) NAA engineer and X-15 test pilot b) pilot who flew solo around the world without landing c) USAF instructor of the year (1986. IIRC).
AF447 crew couldn't cope with the problem they had, at the time they had it. Whether they were fine pilots that were too fatigued from Rio layover to think straight for a fraction of a second or marginal ones, being lucky that far they never had to cope with serious malfunction, we just don't have a way of telling.
Even if one does not know anything about Airbus, mere fact that 40-something 330/340s passed through similar ordeal, with autopilots tripping and flight controls system degrading to ALTN law till landing, with no injuries or damage, is indication enough that aeroplane is no culprit.
Heck, if there would be just one thing worth learning from AF447 demise, IMHO it would be:
Originally Posted by Douglas Adams
DON'T PANIC
Maybe it should be written on QRH covers? Or on another cockpit placard?