Asiana 777 crashed on landing at SFO

[Whine Lover]

My little corner of the aviation world offers a bit more operational flexibility than many airlines. Even though we have the largest fleet in the corporate/fractional world, for the most part our management doesn't legislate technique (so far, thankfully). That is a luxury many airline pilots do not have.

That means a lot more hand flying (the FUN part of this job) and the right to ignore the magic box, the x-ray vision HUD/EVS, and the other Captain Billy Whizbang gadgetry if it doesn't make sense at the time.

Our greatest challenge is being prepared for 7000 different airports from Aspen to Aruba to Angor Wat. That is also our greatest blessing because it helps prevent the inevitable complacency that can creep into some cockpits.

I do worry about some of the international products of ab initio programs and a single-minded focus on nothing but SOPs, airline operations, and slavish devotion to the magenta line.

Combine that style of training with a steep authority gradient of some foreign cultures and relative lack of "out there on your own in the sky" experience and it becomes apparent how something like this could happen.

Worse yet, there is no easy solution.

Perfectly well said.

YKW

 

[jetstream]

When I'm giving OE to a new pilot its common to see them punching buttons like crazy on the Flight Control Panel trying to make the auto pilot fly a visual approach for them. I give it a minute and then say "Turn that ******************** off. Look out the window, fly the airplane over there to the runway and land it". If you can't do that, we have a problem we need to fix.

 

[Whine Lover]

When I'm giving OE to a new pilot its common to see them punching buttons like crazy on the Flight Control Panel trying to make the auto pilot fly a visual approach for them. I give it a minute and then say "Turn that ******************** off. Look out the window, fly the airplane over there to the runway and land it". If you can't do that, we have a problem we need to fix.

PERFECT.

What a CONCEPT!

PILOTS....Should be ABLE to FLY....AIRPLANES.

WWOT?

YKW

 

[labatt]

Not saying this had anything to do with the accident.

That being said, this is quite possibly the best aviation video I have ever seen. If you have a spare 25 minutes, it is must see.

"Children of Magenta".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kREPMzMLk

 

[texman]

He's going to a stroke out when he sees Key West.

F-16 guy. LOL

 

[AeroDMB]

News is saying the gear was the first to hit the sea wall

 

[WYOMINGPILOT]

A serious threat this crew experiences and Most Asian carriers are subject to is an Extreme QAR threat. This causes automation dependency. The Captain will be highly scrutinized and the crew punished. Asian carriers have a massive punishment culture when QAR parameters are exceeded. Because of this the automation is always utilized to lessen the possibility of a QAR event. Small flight path deviations like 1 dot off localizer or glide slope or more than 1000 fpm descent below 2000" AGL will have you in front of the Chief Pilot confessing your sins and begging for your job and financially punished and fined. Until the QAR punishment culture subsides these type of accidents will continue as pilots will depend upon the automation as it is less risky (lower odds) than having a QAR event. At my Asian carrier we are fined severely for every QAR event we experience so hand flying and de-automating the aircraft are highly discouraged. This accident has been in the making for years in the cultures that push QAR event punishment.

 

[N1atEcon]

However, an airport like SFO should have a functioning ILS

Was it a factor in this case, YES! But we all should all be all capable of conducting simple private pilot skills. Especially in the WX this crew had that day. It is just a sad accident that shouldn't have happened.

 

[taxi1wire]

So the ILS was out that day with CAVU wx...how many other heavies slammed into the seawall that day? For that matter, in the last 20 years? (I know about JAL in 68).
Where the hell were the BASIC piloting skills? Pathetic.

 

[Capn Butthead]

You still have a GPS and RNP to 28L and R....it's even better than an ILS because you don't have to tune a radio! And it gives you a glide slope. It will be interesting to see what navigation they were using and what was said between crew members...