[LINK] reliance on automatic technology settings

[Ivan Trundle]

On 10/07/2013, at 11:53 AM, Scott Howard <scott at doc.net.au> wrote:

> Don't believe the spin - this crash had (almost) nothing to do with a
> reliance on automated technology, and everything to do with pilots who
> forgot rule 1 of flying - "Fly the Plane!"

I'm surprised that anyone is prepared to make that judgement based on the evidence to date.

> In this case, the pilots flew below their landing speed for over 30
> seconds.  They ignored visual aids at the airport intended to let them know
> they were coming in too low (
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precision_approach_path_indicator).  

I'd like to appreciate how you know this. 

The evidence of some video footage and other information available to the press does not tell the full story. Even judging the true speed of an aircraft  without instruments is notoriously difficult, especially over water.

So many factors inform the full story: the black box, anecdotal reports from witnesses, pilots, passengers and air traffic controllers, flight radar tracks and more. It's quite difficult to assess what really occurred in such a short period of time since the accident, let alone what actually caused the accident.

iT