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Ill-fated UPS jet was on autopilot seconds before crash
"The autopilot was engaged until the last second of recorded data," said Robert Sumwalt, a senior official with the National Transportation Safety Board. He said information retrieved by investigators from the flight data recorder aboard the United Parcel Service jet showed that its auto throttle also was engaged until moments before the fiery crash. (news.yahoo.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
There is an airspeed tape, vertical speed tape, and PAPI for rwy 18 to monitor airspeed, rate of descent, and glidepath. You can't fly with a blindfold on just because the A/P is flying the approach.
Well, at 7 seconds on that warning, that would have been ample time for TOGA; I guess it could have startled them but even with all auto stuff on, you would have think they'd have recognized that sink rate long before the warning.
I know and there must have been something(s)going on that they were working the problem. Whatever happened, NTSB probably knows already.
Maybe not. Picture this, the autopilot is flying the approach. The pilots expect the autopilot to catch the glidepath automatically, but it doesn't, it just continues the descent. Its dark out, there is no ground lighting off the end, which contributes to the black hole effect we all learn about in private pilot training. Add the rise in the terrain from the hill everyone is talking about. They may have not caught the descent into terrain, relied on the autopilot, and never saw the ground.
7 seconds sounds like a lot of time when sitting in front of the computer, but figure reaction time while in the cockpit, on the last leg after a long nights flying.
7 seconds sounds like a lot of time when sitting in front of the computer, but figure reaction time while in the cockpit, on the last leg after a long nights flying.
Looking on streetview on Google Maps, the hill does not look to be that large of a difference to the airport. Its not like there is a mountain off the end, just gently sloping terrain.
It's a big deal when you're lower than the highest point on that hill though.
But if the ATC saw the landing lights (post cleared to land), surely the crew would have confirmed the ILS?
No ILS on Runway 18, localizer only no glideslope. Even if the FMS and everything was programmed correctly for the approach, all it would take is one mistake setting up the autopilot, and not recognizing it until too late, much like Asiana's recent incident. That is beginning to look like they thought the A/T were holding airspeed, but weren't.
ANd way too far behind the plane to recover after they realized the problem.
Exactly.
As per NTSB briefing, the A/T was holding airspeed steady at about 140.
Runway 18 has no ILS, so were the pilots hand flying an instrument approach, or was the AP engaged and controlling the flight?
Runway 18 has no ILS, so were the pilots hand flying an instrument approach, or was the AP engaged and controlling the flight?