Post by Tom Goodrick on Jul 5, 2012 13:29:44 GMT -5
This morning on the CBS morning show, Capt Sully Sullenberger solved the mystery of the Airbus that suddenly flew into the ocean north of Africa a couple years ago. He is retained by CBS to comment on aviation safety. As you may know, the Airbus suddenly departed normal cruise flight and plunged into the ocean. Data recorders showed an inexperienced co-pilot was at the controls while the plane stalled after some turbulence. there were three pilots: a senior pilot in command who was out of the cockpit when the incident started, an experienced co-pilot who was in the left seat and a third, relatively inexperienced co-pilot who was in the right seat. Recorded data showed the one flying (the least experienced pilot, gave nose-up control and held it as the aircraft started a rapid descent with the stall warning alarm sounding. He held that command input almost all the way down until the Pilot In Command entered the cockpit and said "Push the nose down!". Then the aircraft hit the ocean.
First, Capt Sullenberger showed that the controls devices were independent side-stick controllers, on the left for the left-seat pilot and on the right for the right-seat pilot. There was no mechanical interconnection between the two sticks. The left pilot could not see the right pilot's stick very well. But even the right pilot holding the nose-up pitch input was not aware he was doing it because the deflection for full nose-up is very slight. It does register on a little graphic indicator but pilots generally do not look at that indicator.
Sullenberger said this problem would not have occurred in a Boeing airplane like the 747 because the two control wheels are mechanically linked and because it takes a big control deflection - fore and aft - to go to full nose-up pitch input. He demonstrated this in a 747 simulator. The left control wheel would have been way back in the lap of the more experienced pilot on the left who would have recognized that, with the stall warning sounding, you want the control wheel forward.
On the cockpit voice recorder, after the Captain enters the cockpit and remarks about the stall, the right-hand pilot softly says "Oh, I guess I was holding the stick back." That is the last word recorded.
The only reason this crash has remained a mystery so long, is that the Europeans who support the Airbus did not want this simple explanation to come out! It was just politics. It was evident to anyone who saw the flight data recorder and heard the cockpit tapes and certainly to anyone who sat in the cockpit of an Airbus after spending time in a Boeing.
I just finished reading and reviewing a novel entitled "Fly By Wire" by W Larsen about a somewhat similar fictional incident. You can see my review and many other reviews at Amazon.com for this novel. It is a fun read if you don't take it too seriously.
First, Capt Sullenberger showed that the controls devices were independent side-stick controllers, on the left for the left-seat pilot and on the right for the right-seat pilot. There was no mechanical interconnection between the two sticks. The left pilot could not see the right pilot's stick very well. But even the right pilot holding the nose-up pitch input was not aware he was doing it because the deflection for full nose-up is very slight. It does register on a little graphic indicator but pilots generally do not look at that indicator.
Sullenberger said this problem would not have occurred in a Boeing airplane like the 747 because the two control wheels are mechanically linked and because it takes a big control deflection - fore and aft - to go to full nose-up pitch input. He demonstrated this in a 747 simulator. The left control wheel would have been way back in the lap of the more experienced pilot on the left who would have recognized that, with the stall warning sounding, you want the control wheel forward.
On the cockpit voice recorder, after the Captain enters the cockpit and remarks about the stall, the right-hand pilot softly says "Oh, I guess I was holding the stick back." That is the last word recorded.
The only reason this crash has remained a mystery so long, is that the Europeans who support the Airbus did not want this simple explanation to come out! It was just politics. It was evident to anyone who saw the flight data recorder and heard the cockpit tapes and certainly to anyone who sat in the cockpit of an Airbus after spending time in a Boeing.
I just finished reading and reviewing a novel entitled "Fly By Wire" by W Larsen about a somewhat similar fictional incident. You can see my review and many other reviews at Amazon.com for this novel. It is a fun read if you don't take it too seriously.
