Reply #6: It did not have a soft landing. [View All]

It landed horizontally, but at full terminal velocity. The impact created forces >36G and there was no chance of survival for anyone. This was not like "miracle on the Hudson" situation.

Secondly, Airbus planes are run by computers. It is not simply an autopilot that failed, the entire system failed due to critical error. It is a safety issue -- it means the system can no longer be trusted because its sensors are unreliable.

It is almost like the computer saying, "hey humans, I have done whatever I could. I can't handle it anymore. You humans take over."

In the simulator study that they showed in the documentary, almost every pilot let the computer be disabled, took over controls and manually set the pitch and the throttle combination to escape the storm and not cause a stall.

4 minutes at 35,000 feet is not very much time to take control of the aircraft but is adequate if the pilots handle what they are taught in a steely cold efficiency. Wasting it on rebooting the computer, when the computer had signed off, and not setting the proper throttle/pitch combo was human error.

Perhaps there are some pilots on DU who could shed light on this. My knowledge gleaned from a documentary can only go so far.

I'll post a link to this thread in GD to attract pilots.