What Really Happened Aboard Air France 447

[StG2_Manfred]

In case you missed it. Already 2 years old, but reads like a thriller !!!

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/crashes/what-really-happened-aboard-air-france-447-6611877

[=BKHZ=Furbs]

very very scary, and almost unbelievable. Lets hope the loss of the aircraft at least means it never happens again.

[Matt]

Feels like a thriller. A really tragic, but fascinating read at the same time.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

Every time I read bout that crash, I am amazed that 3 well trained and experienced pilots can fail to recognize a stall for that long.  What I didn't know was the bit about the split sticks.  That didn't help at all.

 

Of course, Colgan 3407, Atlantic 6291....  Crashing perfectly good airplanes because of pilot error happens even when there are two pilots up front minding the shop.

 

Then, thinking about Cirrus, with the SR-22s excellent seeming wing design to maintain aileron control as the wing starts to stall can and has meant viscous stall-spin accidents.  I wonder if we are becoming a little too dependent on technology and forgetting basic stick and rudder skills.

[DD_bongodriver]

Sadly dependence on technology is one of the major factors in this, civil pilot training is woefully inadequate, pilot fatigue is potentially going to be a major contributing factor if new flight time regulations are brought in (EASA) and at the very root of all these problems is money, I have to facepalm every time I hear the phrase 'pilot error' as it is simply the easy (and less expensive) cop out of accepting all the other factors that cause pilots to make these errors.

[ATAG_Slipstream]

I have to admit I'm paranoid, I feel much safer flying in a Dragon Rapide than I do in a modern airliner full of computers!

[FlatSpinMan]

Awful. Poor people. Tempting to blame the guy but I guess the training and systems contributed to him being that way. 

[Mogster]

What are the advantages of Airbus's side stick system? With a conventional yoke it would have been obvious to the other crew members that Bonin was pulling full elevator the whole time.

[DD_bongodriver]

What are the advantages of Airbus's side stick system? With a conventional yoke it would have been obvious to the other crew members that Bonin was pulling full elevator the whole time.

 

Well I would say AIRBUS logic is:

a) small stick is lighter (saving millilitres of fuel)

b) it's not how BOEING do it

c) someone thought it would look cool and high tech

d) the aircraft computer is really flying the plane so a device for pilot input needs only to be token

 

More credible reasons may include:

a) the sidestick makes an unobstructed view of the Pilots flying displays

 

AIRBUS's solution for the potential of dual input is to have the crew alerting system repeatedly announce 'dual input', after all history has shown us how repeated audible alarms have always grabbed the attention of pilots during high workload/stress situations.......