WestHawk
The Single Pilot incident in a CJ with an emergency landing at Leeds and a structurally damaged aircraft which thankfully landed safely was caused by pilot distraction and the aircraft being in VS mode at high altitude.
The Aircraft stalled and lost a lot of altitude before being recovered
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources...CR%2001-15.pdf
WestHawk I realise this incident was over 40K in thin air where the margin between IAS and stall is small a point where the pilot should have had full concentration on the panel not wind charts! Never the less there have been similar incidents in piston aircraft lower down.
I never understood why with Doncaster near by with a major Cessna service centre and a huge runway he went back into Leeds with its notorious winds turbulence low cloud etc
Had he had a speed defined mode selected this would not have happened?
whatever it points to the fact that never take an autopilot for granted or a mode selected for granted its a pilot assist not a pilot replace and ignore it at your peril )))
There have been a spate of accidents with advanced technology of pilot assists including autopilots where pilots have relied on these systems to fly in conditions where their abilities do not match the equipment and technology available in the aircraft.
Pace